


Witches and Their Secrets

by RifulOfTheWest



Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Angst, F/F, First Love, Romance, Slow Burn, Terminal Illnesses, Yuri
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-24
Updated: 2019-09-16
Packaged: 2019-11-04 16:28:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 71,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17901560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RifulOfTheWest/pseuds/RifulOfTheWest
Summary: Things are going perfect for Akko and Diana in their second year at Luna Nova. They’re closer than ever before and with the new abundance of magic, the two believe in easy sailing for the future. But when Diana starts getting suspiciously sick, Akko’s world starts spiraling out of control and the witch finds herself torn between spending her time practicing the magic she so dearly loves or spending it with Diana.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y’all. So I’ve been working on this piece since like summer of 2018, but I am a very picky person and I wanted every aspect of the story to be exactly like how I wanted it to be so it took me a really long time to write it. I hate having deadlines too so I just decided to start uploading the chapters here when I was done with the entire thing (which took a super long time).
> 
> So yes! This is an already completed fic! Try and stick around for the end! I’ll upload a chapter every week or so.
> 
> While I was writing, a bunch of chapters of the Little Witch Academia manga came out and I was SHOOK because literally something similar happens to Diana and it’s CANON and DRAWN and I was really happy. But yeah I’m making this point to say that I totally didn’t base this story off of that one chapter when Diana gets burning fever or something. The idea was brewing in my head wayyyy before that chapter even came out so... Enjoy :) I hope I’m not too awful at storytelling.

Diana woke up with her chest and her throat on fire. It had been a while since the last time she had been sick so she was relatively surprised to find herself ill this morning. The common cold never stopped her from any of her responsibilities before. Normally, the witch would just tough it out and continue on with her day at Luna Nova. This time however, it felt… different. 

She attempted to sit up in bed to assess exactly how sick she was, but found herself with no energy to make even the simplest of movements. Actually, it was only now that she noticed that the rest of her body was _also_ furiously screaming with heat. This was bad.

She prayed that Hannah and Barbara were awake. The witch mustered all the strength she could manage and called out to her roomates. “Hannah… Barbara…”

She heard a lot of movement and chattering before Barbara finally appeared from behind the bookshelf, combing her hair and humming to herself. “What’s up Diana? You’re usually ready by n- EUKGH!!” Barbara dropped her comb and rushed over to the girl’s bed. “Diana! You’re super pale! And you’re really sweaty!”

 _Gee thanks. It’s every girl’s dream to hear that’s what they look like in the morning_ , Diana thought. But she was not in the mood to reprimand Barbara on her manners right now. In fact, she was not in the mood for _anything_ right now. 

“Hannah! There’s something really wrong with Diana. Come quick!” Barbara called over to her other roommate. 

Diana watched as Hannah’s head popped out from behind the bookshelf. She was in the middle of changing so only half of her body was exposed. “What’s up?” The girl caught one glimpse of the blonde before her eyes widened in horror. She ran over to the bed. “OhMyGosh, Diana what’s wrong!?”

 _My word do I really look that awful?_

Concerned, the two witches hovered over their roommate with tears in their eyes. After all, they were used to always seeing the blonde witch in top from. Diana would have found their worrying adorable if she wasn’t on the verge of passing out. 

“Girls,” she struggled to keep her voice from sounding weak. “I’m fine. I think I just have a cold is all. Do you think one of you can bring the nurse here? I don’t think I can really get up at the moment…” 

They gave each other panicked looks, neither of them wanting to leave the heiress’s side before Hannah finally blurted out, “I’ll go! Barbara, stay here and make sure she doesn’t get any worse.” She clasped Diana’s hand in her’s. “Please don’t die Diana, I’ll be back soon!”

The girl chuckled despite the immense discomfort it caused in her chest. “As if that would happen,” she smiled. “I’ll be fine, thanks you two. Sorry for troubling you like this.”

Hannah hesitantly let go of Diana’s hand and raced to the door. 

“Uhmmm Hannah?” Barbara called after her friend before she could jet out of the room.

“What?!” snapped Hannah, clearly eager to get down to the nurse’s office.

Barbara had a slight blush on her cheeks. “You might want to put on your skirt before you leave the room…”

Hannah looked down and stared blankly at her frilly white underwear.

 _Oh, these two… At least they mean well._ Diana sighed and it made her throat hurt.

 

When the academy nurse finally arrived at the blue team’s room, Hannah was out of breath and Barbara was fidgeting nervously while sitting beside Diana’s bed. She had previously placed a cold towel on the girl’s head in hopes of bringing her fever down. No luck.

Normally one would find it odd that a nurse would be needed in a school of magic, but in reality having one was more than a necessity. After all, magic couldn’t be used to cure everything. Diana knew that all too well with her mother’s case.

While magic could technically be used to heal, it was better off for the body to recover most things on it’s own. Too much healing magic would start to mess up the immune system. 

The nurse was actually very helpful in Luna Nova. What with all the magic related injuries and recently, the clumsiness of a certain Japanese witch, the nurse usually had a lot of work to do. For minor colds or small scrapes and bumps, the nurse would use traditional non magic methods and just let the body heal naturally. If it was something a little more serious, then only would she resort to a small amount of healing magic. Not too much, but just enough to help the body recover itself properly.

“Good morning Miss Cavendish. How are you feeling?” asked the nurse, as gentle as ever. 

“A little under the weather I’m afraid. Sorry to bring you all the way up here.”

The nurse hummed out a response and reached over to feel Diana’s temperature. “Woah that’s pretty high,” She felt around some more on the girl’s cheek and neck, then turned to Hannah and Barbara. “You two should head to class. And don’t worry too much, Miss Cavendish will be just fine. I’ll inform her teachers that she will be out sick today.”

Diana saw an expression of relief wash over both of her friends’ faces and she felt happy to know that they cared so much. The two witches lingered behind a little bit before they reluctantly left for class, departing with a “Feel better!”

After doing a quick check up on Diana, the nurse gave her a reassuring look. “Well I’m not exactly sure what you have, but it’s probably just some kind of cold. You do have an unusually high fever though,” The woman added quizzically.

“Do you have a sore throat?”

Diana nodded.

“Stuffy or runny nose?”

She nodded again.

“Are you nauseous at all?”

She shook her head.

The nurse took a bottle of pills out of her bag. “I’ll give you some antibiotics, take them three times a day.” She got up and got Diana a glass of water. “I’ll come up again in a while with some hot soup.”

Just as the nurse was about to head out the door, Diana called out to her. “Excuse me, but- I don’t have… I don’t have my mother’s illness right?” She hated how scared her voice sounded, but she couldn’t help it. Inheriting her mother’s illness was always one of the many worries in the back of her mind. She might even go as far as to say she feared it. Though she would never tell anyone that.

The nurse gave her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, that’s highly unlikely. You’ll be feeling better in a few days. Try to get some rest.”

Diana watched as she walked out of the room and closed the door. She was all alone now. Maybe it was better to have some peace and quiet. Usually, she wouldn’t stress out about missing a few days of school. She was well ahead of the curriculum anyways; she could afford to miss a class here and there. However, there was something that she was actually disappointed to miss out on. 

Lately, she had been very eager to go to class everyday because it meant that she got to spend time with her new friend. After the missile crisis, she found herself genuinely enjoying being in the presence of the struggling witch from the red team, Atsuko. 

Unfortunately, the British witch wouldn’t be able to see the adorable girl today at all. 

_Oh shoot… today I promised Akko that I would be there to watch her broom flying practice after school,_ Diana remembered regretfully. _I hope she doesn’t think I’m snubbing her._

She cursed that today of all days she had to get sick and hoped that this kind of thing wouldn’t happen too often. She mulled it over for a bit until she eventually drifted off into an unpleasant sleep.

\---------

Akko was worried. Professor Finnelan’s first period class had started 10 minutes ago, and none of the girls from the blue team were present in class. She had no idea about Hannah and Barbara, but she definitely knew that Diana was not fond of being tardy.

 _Maybe Diana got caught up in some important business again? She’s probably fiiiine_ , Akko reassured herself. As usual her mind was everywhere except for the class that was going on right in front of her.

Another 5 minutes passed before the door to the classroom finally opened and the now late students walked in. 

_Oh here they are! Hannah, Barbara and…. Eh? No Diana?_

Both of the girls had a glum look on their faces. They went up to the professor and whispered something to her.

Finnelan listened and nodded. “Understood. You girls can go ahead and take your seats,” 

That was unfair. Akko remembered several times when she was literally 10 seconds late for Finnelan’s class and no excuse could get her out of the uptight professor's punishment. She would have protested, but she got the vibe that something pretty serious must have happened, especially since Diana wasn’t with them.

Finnelan continued the class as if nothing happened and Akko zoned out again with her troubling thoughts. She leaned over to Lotte and whispered, “Hey, where do you think Diana is? It’s not like her to miss a class.”

The bespectacled girl glanced over to where the blue team usually sat and noticed Diana’s empty chair. “Hmm. Yeah that is pretty odd. Maybe she has some more Cavendish family business that she needed to take care of?”

Akko was not convinced. She turned to the other girl next to her, who was also not paying attention to the lesson and whispered, “Yo Sucy, what do you think happened to Diana?”

Sucy could not have looked less interested in her question. “Beats me,” she shrugged her shoulders.

Yes, usually Akko did have a strong loathing of class but this period seemed to drag on longer than ever before. She found herself counting the seconds before class ended so that she could bombard Hannah and Barbara with questions. It was strange to think that she cared so much about Diana. Before the two had gotten to know each other, Akko wouldn’t have even given her a second thought. Ever since their second year at the academy had started, she began to sincerely enjoy spending time with the girl. 

Life at Luna Nova was already more thrilling than she could ask for. Adding Diana to her group of friends only made it better. Not only was the girl helpful and encouraging, she was also surprisingly kind and caring. It was a side of the heiress that Akko had only recently found out about and to be quite honest, she couldn’t get enough of it. The day just didn’t seem right without her light conversations with the girl.

Right when class ended, Akko practically jumped out of her seat and made her way to the two witches that used to tease her. All thanks to Diana, her relationship with those two had improved greatly. “Hannah! Barbara!”

The girls turned around to see who was calling them and were relatively surprised to see that it was Akko. They gave each other a look before Hannah spoke. “Oh…Hello Akko. What is it?”

“How come Diana didn’t come to class with you guys today? Is she alright?” the brunette asked with concern in her voice.

The pair suddenly looked gloomy again. “Unfortunately, Diana got sick this morning. It seems pretty bad so... she’ll probably be out for a while,” replied Barbara.

This news did not set Akko’s already anxious mind at ease. She’d been at Luna Nova for about a year and she’s never seen Diana in less than perfect form. She didn’t understand why, but her heart sank. 

“Oh. Ok thanks,” was all she could say before Hannah and Barbara said their goodbyes and left for their next class.

 _I have to go see her…_ she thought. Certainly she couldn’t wait until after the school day had ended, probably everyone would be visiting the popular witch by then. Akko was debating between going to class and learning, which she desperately needed to do if she wanted to become anything like Shiny Chariot, or going to check on Diana. 

She couldn’t explain it, but she had to see the girl. Classes would simply have to wait.

Akko walked back over to Lotte and Sucy. “Guys, do you think I could get the notes from you later? I might miss the next few classes.”

Both of them gave her a confused expression. “What? Why?” Lotte asked.

“I’m gonna go see Diana. She’s out sick today,” Akko replied bluntly.

Sucy raised an eyebrow. “Can’t that wait until after school?” 

“Nope!” Akko smiled. “Ok thanks guys! I’ll see you later!” 

She bolted out of the classroom but not before hearing Sucy sigh and say to Lotte, “That’s some crush she’s got.”

Akko fought the blush that slowly crept up her cheeks and focused on sprinting to the dormitories. She didn’t care if any of the professors saw her running in the halls, she only had one thing in her mind.


	2. Chapter 2

Diana was awoken from her dreamless sleep by the sound of knocking on her door. At first she thought she had imagined it, but the knocks had become more and more persistent. Her head was pounding and she could swear that her throat felt 100 times worse than it did before she fell asleep.

She heard a familiar voice call out from behind the door. “Dianaaa~ Can I come in?” 

_Akko?! What is she doing here?_ Diana looked at the clock. _Shouldn’t she be in class right now?_

She listened as the door slowly creaked open. “I’m coming in now…” Akko said.

_Oh geez… I must look terrible. I really wish she didn’t have to see me like this._

The girl made her way around the room’s bookshelf and bashfully took a seat next to Diana’s bed. “Hi,” she blushed. “Sorry, did I wake you?”

Diana smiled gently and couldn’t bring herself to make Akko feel guilty about the fact that she actually did wake her up. “No, it’s okay. I had to get up anyways.”

The Japanese girl frowned. “Are you okay? Your voice sounds awful.”

“I’m fine. I think it’s just a cold,” she replied. “And not that I’m not glad to see you here, but don’t you have classes right now? It’s still very early in the school day.”

Akko grinned. “Yeah but I wanted to make sure you were okay! After all, we are friends right?”

Of course they were, but Diana had many friends. None of them had cut class to check on her; none of them, except for Akko. She was glad that her fever was high enough to keep her face nice and rosy because otherwise the girl would surely have seen the blush that Diana was trying to restrain. 

_I really should make her go back to class… But she’s already here though… Maybe just for this one period,_ the blonde decided.

Akko’s cheery face shifted to worry. “Are you sure you’re alright? This is the first time I’ve seen you sick like this. That’s why when Hannah and Barbara told me, I rushed over here ASAP,” the girl scratched the back of her neck and laughed, “I was actually really scared. It was the same feeling I had when I saw the life being squeezed out of you by your Aunt’s snakes.”

Diana scoffed at her friend’s excess concern. “Akko, relax. Everybody gets sick once in a while, me and you included. I’ll be fine in a couple of days.”

The brunette raised her eyebrows. “Wait, why can’t the nurse just use some kind of healing magic spell?” Her eyes widened. “Is it because she’s not powerful enough? Don’t worry Diana!” She whipped out her wand. “I’ll get rid of your cold with my-”

“Pardon, but I would prefer that you don’t do that,” Diana giggled as she watched the girl in front of her try to figure out why on earth someone would refuse magic that would make them feel better instantly. “Actually for common colds it’s best to let the body take care of it naturally. Healing magic is usually only used for serious injuries or for one time things.”

“Oh.” The witch plopped back down in her chair and sighed. “Never thought I’d say this Diana, but I’m actually gonna miss your know-it-all answers in class. Your flawlessness is the only thing to keep me annoyed enough to stay awake during most of the lectures.”

“So then you still consider yourself my rival?” Diana asked with a playful smirk.

Akko shot back a determined look. “Of course! If I want to become a witch that can make the world smile, I’ll have to be at least as good as you at magic! I won’t go easy on you!”

Ah yes, there it was. Akko could never go 20 minutes without telling someone that her dream was to become like Shiny Chariot. When Diana had first met the girl, she found that trait about her to be very annoying. How could this girl make a claim so bold and essentially be one of the worst students in Luna Nova? It was only after all the time she spent with the girl that made her realize that Akko was more of a witch than anyone in the school. Not only was her magic exceptional in times of need, but her spirit was one of the greatest that Luna Nova has ever been lucky enough to have. 

In fact, it was Akko that inspired her to juggle being both the Cavendish head and a model student at Luna Nova. She made Diana realize not to give up on her dreams. Only positive things came to mind whenever she found herself daydreaming about the Japanese witch.

“Sorry I can’t come to your broom flying practice today. I would have loved to give you some helpful tips,” she apologized.

Akko shook her head vigorously. “Don’t even worry about it, I’m happy as long as you recover properly! Just watch out though, by the time you’re all healthy, I’ll already be learning how to fly circles around you! Amanda’s a pretty good teacher, ya know.”

 _Ahhh, I really wanted to be the one to teach her._ Diana shouldn’t have been feeling jealous that Amanda was going to teach in her place, but she was. Just a little bit.

“Anyways,” the brunette reached over and placed the back of her hand on Diana’s forehead. “GEEZ! You’re really burning up! Did the nurse even do anything to help you?!”

Diana glanced to the desk next to her bed. “Oh. I must have fallen asleep before taking the medicine that she gave me.”

Akko frantically swiped the bottle of antibiotics off of the table and pried it open. “Here, quickly! Swallow these-” she said while spilling half of the pills onto the floor. “Oops.” The girl knelt down to pick up the pills and in the process, bumped her head on the bottom of the desk. 

Diana fought the urge to facepalm. _Oh for the love of- why is it that I’m so drawn to this clumsy girl?_

“Ok, here. Now you can take them,” Akko handed her one of the floor dirtied pills. Diana took it and swallowed it down gratefully with some water. 

“Diana-” the girl started to say but was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. The nurse walked in with a bowl of soup on a tray.

“Oh, Miss Kagari. What are you doing here? I believe classes are in session right now,” The woman said while eyeing the witch that often showed up to her office with all kinds of ridiculously bizarre injuries.

Akko sprung out of her chair. “Please don’t tell the professors! I just wanted to see how Diana was doing.”

“I’m sorry Miss Kagari, but cutting class is a serious issue, I’ll have to let Professor Finnelan-”

“No don’t, it was my mistake,” Diana cut in. “I realized I should have sent Akko back immediately when she came here, but I asked her to stay. Please place the responsibility on me.” 

Akko widened her eyes and the nurse just grudgingly nodded her head in acceptance. The staff at Luna Nova was always too hard on the girl. If only they saw what Diana saw in the brunette.

The nurse carried over the bowl of soup to her bed. “Here you are Miss Cavendish, nice and hot. Try to finish it all and when you’re done I’d like to look you over one more time just to be safe.”

Diana looked over at her friend. “Akko, you should probably go back to class now. You wouldn’t want to miss any information that can help you beat me, right?” She winked.

The girl looked hesitant. “You won’t be lonely all day?”

“I’ve managed this far,” Diana’s blue eyes showed a hint of sadness but if Akko had noticed, she didn’t say anything.

“If you say so. Feel better soon, Diana!” the girl said before exiting the room with her usual amount of high energy.

It was crazy to think how much the relationship between her and Akko changed since the girl enrolled in Luna Nova. They never would have cared about each other this much back then, but after the trouble Diana had with her Aunt and the whole evil missile thing, the two had unintentionally found themselves sharing a deep connection. Diana was glad that they were able to forget about the past. She never knew how much she needed someone like Akko in her life until now.

“Ok Miss Cavendish,” The nurse interrupted her thoughts. “I need to properly check your breathing soooo remove your shirt please.”

“I beg your pardon?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! If you’re having second thoughts about this fic, I suggest sticking around for the later chapters. The story gets a lot better and I promise it gets realllyyy emotional. I try to go as deep as I can into Diana and Akko’s thoughts and I make them go through a lot of angsty stuff soooo yeah. I’ll be uploading a chapter every week!


	3. Chapter 3

Just as the nurse had promised, Diana was back in class and healthy a few days later and Akko couldn’t have been any more relieved.

She had visited Diana everyday while she was absent and sometimes even multiple times a day. She figured the girl could use some cheering up, so every visit she performed a little magic show for her. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to make her actually smile from time to time, which boosted Akko’s confidence through the roof. 

She knew exactly how rare a smile coming from the heiress was, so she was very proud of her accomplishments. Recently however, she started to notice that Diana had been smiling more and more around her. And not that fake polite smile that rich people had to put on. A real one.

Today, Akko was spending a little extra time looking in the mirror because it was a very special occasion. Diana had noticed that the girl had been struggling in Professor Badcock’s class and offered to help her brush up on the material and of course, she had all too eagerly accepted the kind offer. 

_Ok Akko, you got this. Today is the day you gotta focus. I can’t look stupid in front of Diana. Well technically anybody would look stupid when compared to her. Hmmmm, if that’s the case then I have nothing to worry about._ She slapped her cheeks, gave herself one last look in the mirror, and walked out of her dorm. Conveniently, Lotte and Sucy were in town today so they wouldn’t get suspicious about why she was always hanging out with the British witch as of late.

She strolled through the halls of Luna Nova. _Come to think of it, this is sorta like a… date._ She stopped in her tracks. _No wayyyy. Diana’s probably just doing this to be nice. Nothing more, nothing less._

Akko had never been the type to care about romance. She was far too invested in pursuing her dreams about magic to even consider anything like that. She had to admit it was flattering when Andrew had once “fallen in love” with her, but it was just a short fantasy. _Come to think of it, Diana also “fell in love” with me for a short while after she got stung by the love bee._

Every now and then, Akko found herself daydreaming about a life filled with beautiful blue eyes and platinum blonde hair. Hanging out together felt totally different now between the two of them. Her breath would hitch everytime the girl would say “good morning” to her. Things weren’t as exciting as they used to be unless Diana was there to enjoy it with her too.

She didn’t know much about anything, but she did know that the blonde had become very important to her. Not as important as magic of course, but still pretty high up there. 

Finally arriving at the library, she opened the door and was greeted with the sight of none other than Diana, who was sitting at one of the many tables in the room. The British girl immediately noticed her and waved. 

“Good morning Akko. How are you today?” She asked while the newcomer took a seat across from her.

“Pretty good. I’m super pumped for this tutoring session!” Akko gave a big thumbs up. “Sorry if I made you wait long.”

“It’s no problem. I got here relatively early anyways.” Diana opened up one of the many books she had piled up in front of her. “So, are you ready to start?”

_Geez, getting right into it I guess. This is Diana after all, no nonsense with her. When she says she wants to study, she really wants to study._ Akko forced herself to sound enthusiastic about immersing herself in numerology for the next few hours. “Yup! All ready!”

The girl gave her a questioning stare. “Erm… Akko, where’s your textbook? And your notebook?”

Akko blinked. “Eh?” 

The blonde gave a long exhale and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “I thought as much…”

“Ahahaha. Sorry Diana~~” She apologized while rubbing the back of her head. _Oh god. Of all of the things to forget… I must look like such an idiot right now._

“Well, I suppose it can’t be helped.” The girl got up from her chair and took a seat right next to the brunette. “Just look on with me for today.”

Akko internally fist bumped herself. _Thank you textbook gods for this wonderful opportunity!!_ “Thanks again for doing this Diana, I feel bad about taking away your Saturday.”

Diana turned away as her lips curved into a faint smile. “It’s no problem at all Akko. I guess you could say it’s to make up for missing out on all your broom flying practices these last few days.”

“I told you, it’s totally nothing to worry about! It was more important to me that you got better!” she hastily replied.

The heiress cleared her throat in response. “Alright, let’s begin. Can you tell me the significance of the number 11 in numerology?”

Akko gave her a blank stare. “... We learned about that?”

At first, Diana just looked at her expressionlessly. Akko mentally prepared herself to be yelled at for not knowing the answer to the question so it was much to her surprise when Diana let out a tiny giggle, which soon progressed into a full on laugh. 

She was staring but she didn’t care. She had never seen Diana laugh before. She wished the girl would do it more often. Happiness suited her well.

“Pffftt, Akko.” The blonde was still smiling as she pressed her palms into her eyes. “That was the first thing we learned in class.”

 

A few hours later and she was proud to say that she had successfully learned the entire numerology curriculum. All thanks to Diana of course who, in Akko’s opinion, was a much better teacher than Professor Badcock.

“I’m impressed Akko. Once you actually try, you can pick things up pretty fast,” she remarked while giving her a small round of applause.

“Haha… if only I could do that during class," Akko replied with a dopey smile.

“Why not? You’re perfectly capable of it.”

“No waaayy. If I studied like this everyday, I’d turn into you for sure.”

The blonde just shrugged her shoulders in response and began gathering up her stuff. Akko stood up and stretched. 

Technically, she had actually turned into Diana once before and she hadn’t liked it all. There was just way too much pressure riding on the poor British girl. Everybody expected her to know everything. She wondered if maybe that was why Diana had gotten sick in the first place: too much stress.

“Well, I don’t wanna waste anymore of your time, soooo I’ll be leavin-” Akko stopped her sentence midway when she felt her friend tug lightly on the bottom of her sleeve.

“Akko,” she said softly while looking down. “From now on…”

The brunette gulped nervously. _Oh Kami-sama. Am I in trouble?_

“From now on,” Diana continued. “Do you and the red team maybe want to join Hannah, Barbara and I during our lunch period?”

Akko almost flew through the ceiling. Grinning from ear to ear, she grabbed her friend’s hands and leaned in closer to her face, which sent the other witch into a visible panic. 

“Only if the green team can sit with us too!”

 

\--------

 

As promised, starting Monday, the red and green team moved their tables to join them with the blue team’s table. Hannah and Barbara were, to say in the least, very surprised.

“Uhhhm Diana, what are they doing?” Barbara whispered as she clung onto Diana’s arm.

Hannah shot her a terrified look. “Are they here to beat us up?!”

“What? Of course not. I asked them all to join us for lunch from now on. Don’t you think it would be livelier with more people?” Diana replied while smiling and waving at Akko who was now sitting directly across from her. When her two friends didn’t immediately reply, she softened her voice. “My apologies you two, I should have asked first before I invited them over. If you don’t like it I can-”

Hannah shook her head. “No, no, of course we don’t mind at all! We’re just a little surprised.”

“Yeah,” Barbara added. “We thought you preferred your lunch period to be less… hectic.”

Diana glanced over at Akko and Amanda O’neill who were now arm wrestling and shaking the table in the process. She resisted the urge to reprimand them, which took a good amount of effort. “Yes, that may have been true, but I think… I’d like to get to know these girls better.”

She didn’t quite understand her reasoning behind the seating change either. Somehow, only being able to spend time with Akko after school for flying practice just wasn’t enough. She had no idea why or when she began to feel like this, but she wanted to spend as much time with the Japanese girl as possible. 

She had never felt like this before. Up until now, all the people in her life knew her simply as a Cavendish. They couldn’t care less about who she was or what she really wanted. All that mattered to them was upholding manners and obtaining connections. Akko however, made Diana feel like how she was supposed to feel. Like a normal teenager. 

The brunette didn’t care about Diana’s image, she cared about who she was. It wasn’t like Akko ever told her this directly, but it was obvious in everything that the girl did. It was evident in the way that she looked at Diana. It was evident in the way that she talked to Diana. It was evident in how she did the absolute most to make the British witch happy. She just hoped she wasn’t reading too much into it.

_No she has to feel this way. She has to feel the same. I just know it…_ Diana reassured herself.

She was relieved when she saw that Hannah and Barbara had started to loosen up. Barbara was now in a deep conversation with Lotte about Night Fall and Hannah was talking to Jasminka about different types of cakes. 

“Wooooohoooo!! I am the undefeated champ! Wanna take me on Miss Cavendish? Or are ya too scared to tarnish your reputation of never losing at anything?” Amanda stood up and crossed her arms in a smug manner.

Akko, who unfortunately lost the arm wrestling match, had on a pouty face. “Don’t do it Diana! She definitely cheats.”

“Huh?! How the hell can anybody cheat at arm wrestling?” Amanda snapped back.

“If anybody knows how to, I’m sure it would be you,” Akko teased.

Amanda stuck out her tongue. “You’re just a sore loser that can’t admit to my obvious superiority.” She mockingly flipped her short salmon hair.

Diana chuckled a little bit which produced a surprised reaction from Amanda. “Woahh. You’re not such a hard ass after all Diana! Akko must have done something to you. Did she hit you in the head? Mess up a magic spell on you or something?”

Diana saw Akko blush and jut out her bottom lip in response, which the blonde found positively adorable. She cleared her throat. “Well thank you for the compliment, I think? But I assure you, nothing like that happened. However I do have Akko to thank for my change in attitude. After all, a believing heart is my magic.” She gave the brown haired girl a wink.

Akko raised her eyebrows in disbelief and broke into a huge smile and whenever her friend smiled, Diana found it extremely hard not to smile too.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way!!!  
> Whenever I put:  
> \------
> 
> That means it's shifting character perspectives from Akko to Diana or vice versa

About a week had passed since the three teams had decided to join their lunch tables together and in Diana’s opinion, the results were very pleasing. Not only were all 9 of them having fun, but they were also forming bonds that none of them would have ever expected to form otherwise. She had previously never considered lunch to be a fun event. It was just another dull part of the day when she received the required nurishment to get her through the rest of her classes. Now, it was an opportunity for her to chat with her large group of new friends. Of course, Akko was the one that she talked to the most out of all of them. It was hard not to engage in conversation with the delightful girl.

Today, her and Akko were on their way back to class after lunch. They walked together side by side, which was something they did quite often now. The cheerful girl was a little closer to Diana than she needed to be, but the blonde didn’t mind at all. She was almost used to her friend’s touchy feelyness by now. Almost.

“Ahhhhhh,” breathed Akko as she let out a content sigh. “The goblins really outdid themselves with the food this time. Today’s main course was sooo good!”

Diana didn’t think it was anything special, but she didn’t want her friend to think she was a rich snob that only liked fancy food. “Yes I agree. Now that the school is making more money, I believe they have started to use more of their budget on the culinary division. They’re probably using better ingredients.”

“Hmmmm. I don’t care so much that it tastes better, I’m just happy that they give us bigger portions,” Akko stated while rubbing her belly.

She smiled in response. _C’mon Diana. Just ask her. I’m sure she’ll be thrilled when you tell her. Akko loves these kinds of things._

“Akko, there’s been something I’ve been meaning to ask you,” she started nervously. The brunette immediately turned pale and began to sweat. “Ah, don’t worry,” Diana reassured her. “It’s nothing that serious.”

“Ok… What is it Diana?”

“Well actually, this weekend the Cavendish household is hosting a social event. It’s nothing too fancy, just a good chance for people to make connections with other important families. Andrew, Hannah, and Barbara will also be attending. My Aunt Daryl said I could bring a guest if I wanted so I was wondering if you would you like to accompany me?”

Akko was stunned silent for a while. “Wh- Why me?” 

“Why not? You seemed to enjoy the last party you attended, seeing how you would go as far as to show up uninvited to it,” she joked. “Besides, I would like to personally introduce the witch who saved the world from the magic missile to all the people in attendance. Things in the magic community are changing and it’s important that people know exactly who was responsible for it.”

When her friend still didn’t look convinced, Diana quickly added in, “Personally, I would also enjoy the party a lot more if you were there to enjoy it with me.” 

That last part made the girl turn red and she stood there flustered before wrapping Diana in a tight bear hug. “Ok! I’d love to come! But only because of that last thing you said,” she said in a playful tone. “One problem though, I’m not exactly sure that I have anything in my closet to wear to a fancy party.”

“No need to worry,” the heiress replied. “Do you remember Anna? She’ll take care of that for you. We have a surplus of dresses in my house anyways.”

 _Wow, an overnight trip with Akko. I can’t wait!_ She smiled to herself as she felt a warm feeling rise up in her chest. 

 

\---------

 

“Dianaaaaa, are we almost there??” Akko whined as she leaned onto her friend’s shoulder.

Diana glanced out the car window and hummed. “Yes, I think we should be arriving in a few minutes. Just hang on for a little while longer.”

“Really?!” Akko immediately released her seatbelt, opened the window, and stuck her head out like a puppy dog. The breeze was amazing and the beautiful green scenery and the bright blue sky seemed to fit each other perfectly. “Wooow!! Wedinburgh is really beautiful isn’t it Diana?” 

“WH-Akko!! Please be careful!” the girl exclaimed while attempting to pull the eager witch back into the car.

She turned to face the worried girl. “Reeelax. I won’t fall out or anything.”

“I’ve seen you do worse…”

“How rude,” Akko teased. _Shoot, she’s not wrong though._

She just couldn’t hold her excitement back. She thought that the Cavendish manor was one of coolest places she’d ever traveled to, though not that she traveled that much to begin with anyways. It was a shame that she never got to completely explore the extensive property the last time she was here. Her last visit was... rather stressful. Her top priority back then was to help Diana deal with her angsty family problems. Plus she had arrived with Andrew and Mr. Hanbridge in their limo and she couldn’t exactly appreciate the scenery while she was squished in between them.

This weekend however, she intended to fully enjoy her trip to the Cavendish manor. Monday and Tuesday were school holidays too, meaning she got to spend 4 whole days here. Not only would she get to experience the fancy livings of nobles during this long weekend, but she got to do it all with Diana. 

And lately, anything that included the British girl was something that Akko enjoyed very much.

 

“We’re finally heeeereeee!!” she shouted in relief as she barreled out of the car and straight into one of the maids.

“Oh geez. I’m so sorry, are you o-” Akko looked up and swallowed her words once she saw that the maid she had slammed into was none other than Anna. Last visit, the woman had taken every opportunity to roast the clumsy girl.

She shot a terrified look at Diana, who simply gave her an emotionless stare. _Ah I know that look. That’s Diana’s “I’m so done with you right now Akko” look._ She was on her own for this.

“H-heyyy Anna,” Akko chuckled nervously. “Long time no see.”

Anna only furrowed her eyebrows in response and focused her attention to Diana. “My lady Diana, I know you said you were going to be bringing a guest, but are you sure it’s appropriate for this girl to attend such a respectable party?”

Akko noticed the blonde’s eye twitch in irritation. “Why wouldn’t it be appropriate for Akko to be here? She’s accomplished just as many amazing feats as I have, if not more. I thought it was simply time to introduce her to my family and acquaintances as a future influential witch and as one of my _irreplaceable_ friends.” 

At first Anna was obviously taken aback by the heiress’s sudden statement, but her expression eventually softened into an actual smil. “Of course, my lady. My apologies, it was not my intention to disrespect Miss Kagari in any way.”

The woman moved to take their bags. “Come now, I’ll take you to your rooms.”

 

After settling the two girls into their respective rooms, Anna excused herself to take care of other household affairs. Diana would be staying in her own room of course and Akko was placed in one of the guest rooms down the hall. The pair were currently in latter’s room, unpacking all of her stuff.

“Thanks for sticking up for me like that Diana. You totally didn’t have to, I know Anna was just kidding around. She lowkey loves me,” Akko said lightly.

“Well… I was only saying how I really feel about you,” the blonde witch said bluntly while neatly folding one of Akko’s shirts and putting it into a drawer.

_Diana…_

“It really irritates me when people don’t acknowledge all things you’ve done. You deserve much more credit than you get,” she continued. “Besides, I really do consider you as a precious friend…I don’t have very many real ones, after all.”

It was true. The two had certainly gotten closer over the past year. Especially in the few months that had passed since the missile incident. “Thanks. The feeling is definitely mutual!” 

Diana returned a warm smile for a moment before going back to folding clothes. “After we’re done here I’d like to take you on a proper tour of the manor, if you don’t mind.”

Akko’s eyes lit up. “Are you kidding?! Of course I don’t mind! I was actually dying to see the rest of your rich person house!” She puffed out her cheeks. “But I couldn’t last time because your evil Aunt was very strict about not snooping around.”

The blonde sighed. “Aunt Daryl isn’t ‘evil’. She had the best interests for the Cavendish family in mind, she just went about it the wrong way. You’ll probably be seeing her quite a bit during your stay, considering she does live here as well. Just… try your best not to bring any of the past up please.”

“Fiiiiine.”

“Okay. All done,” Diana stated as she folded the last pair of pants. “Ready to go now?”

“Yup!”

 

The tour was pretty much exactly as she had expected it to be. Overwhelmingly elegant and grand. Diana had apologized in advance if the mansion looked a little run-down but honestly Akko couldn’t tell at all. Everything around her seemed to sparkle with a brimming sophistication. The accident-prone girl was worried that if she breathed the wrong way, she would end up breaking something important.

The two were just about done with the tour when they reached a large room in what seemed to be one of the older sections of the manor. Diana gestured to something on the wall above the fireplace. “Ah, I don’t know if you remember seeing it last time, but that is the Tapestry of Beatrix.”

Akko walked into the room to get a closer look at the relic as her friend continued on with her explanation. “It means a lot to our family.”

“Wow It’s- It’s really something else, Diana. How old is it?” 

“About 1500 years old, I believe. It was passed down from-”

The girl was cut off by the sound of footsteps in the hall which were soon followed by the appearance of Aunt Daryl herself. “Ah Diana, I heard you arrived so I was looking all over for you. I didn’t expect you to be here though.” The woman looked around the room until her eyes finally met with Akko’s wide ones. “Oh hello. Miss Kagari, was it? I’m guessing you’re here this time as Diana’s friend. Or are you here uninvited again?” She gave a playful smirk that didn’t seem malicious at all.

“No ma'am. Your very kind niece has offered to look after me these next few days. Thank you as well for welcoming me into your wonderful home,” Akko replied in a robotic voice.

Diana rolled her eyes and Aunt Daryl laughed out loud. “Relax Miss Kagari, I don’t bite… anymore.” She clasped her hands together. “Oh That reminds me! You two still have a lot of time to kill before the party tonight. Diana, why don’t you take your guest to go swimming in the lake that’s a few miles away?”

The brunette’s ears perked up. “A lake?”

“Hmmm. I don’t know… Akko might want to rest a little befor-”

“Yes please!!!” Said girl was practically bouncing off the walls as she clinged onto her friend. “You have to take me! Pleaseee Dianaaa,” she begged.

“V-very well. Do you mind if we fly there then? It’s good practice for you.”

Akko nodded her head vigorously. _Scooooore!!!! I get to see Diana in a bikini!!_

The pair said their goodbyes to Aunt Daryl and made their way back to Diana’s room to pick out swimsuits to wear. Akko hadn’t thought to pack one for the trip but fortunately, the heiress had a lot of old ones she could spare.

The blonde had on a concentrated expression as she rummaged through one of her huge closets. “Hmmmmm,” she pulled out a nice pink bikini with frills on it and handed it to Akko. “I think this might be in your size. I received it when I was probably around 12 or 13.”

 _Oh God not this again._ Akko stared at the top piece in disbelief. _When she was 12?! There’s no way her boobs were this big!!_ She grit her teeth. “Hate to admit it, but it’s a perfect fit… Wha? Diana! Are you laughing?” 

The blonde’s shoulders shook as she attempted to stifle her laughter. “N-no. Of course not.”

“Very convincing.” Akko rolled her eyes.

“Is it okay if I wear this one?” Diana asked while holding up the ugliest looking navy blue one piece swimsuit that Akko had ever seen. _Do they even make these anymore?_

“Ehhhhhh? You can’t wear that! I’ve waited too long for this moment.” She moved Diana aside to do her own search in the closet for the perfect swimsuit for her busty friend.

“Huh?... You waited too long for what?” the girl asked innocently.

“Ah hah! This one is perfect! Here, wear this Diana. I’d love to see what you look like in this!”

 

The broom ride to the lake was accompanied by the beautiful view of the Cavendish family’s private property. The girls passed through lush fields and wonderful flower patches that Akko wished they could have stopped to admire. 

Diana was kind enough to fly what she would consider as slow out of sympathy for the still learning witch. She landed first. “That’s it Akko, you can do it. You’re almost there.”

Said witch was having trouble staying in the air, with her broom wobbling and gradually getting closer to the ground. She attempted to slow down gently, but completely flipped off of her broom and crash landed into the shore with a mouthful of sand. Landing was definitely not her forte. Even so, Diana looked thrilled with her for some reason. “I’m impressed Akko! You’re really starting to improve!”

Akko blushed at the compliment but wasted no time in ripping her clothes off to reveal her swimsuit. “Finally! Swimming time!” She ran over to the shoreline and dipped her toe into the water. “Waaaaaah! The water’s nice and cool, hurry up already Diana!”

The blonde witch smiled and began to undress, revealing the white bikini with blue polka-dots that Akko had chosen for her. She took the hair band off of her wrist and tied up her hair, making a very rare ponytail that she never wore outside of gym class.

 _Woahhh. I never realized it that much before, but Diana’s completely gorgeous._ Akko wanted to pull out a pair of binoculars and look at her all day. Totally not weird at all. 

“What is it?” Diana asked self-consciously. 

Akko realized she had been staring. She gave the girl a wide smile and positively gushed. “I knew you would look good in that.”

She watched the British girl display a faint blush that tinted her beautiful white cheeks. At the sight, Akko felt color of her own crawl up her face. 

The two spent the next few hours enjoying themselves in the lake, splashing around and using their wands to cast water related spells at each other. When they were all tired out, they just laid down in the sand under an umbrella and took in the fresh air until they decided it was time to go and get ready for the party. She couldn’t imagine how the day could get any better.


	5. Chapter 5

The girls each went back to their respective rooms once they returned to the manor. With the party being in a few hours, Diana excused herself to get prepared. She was, after all, technically the host of it. Before leaving she had asked Akko to take a shower and promised that Anna would soon arrive at her room to help her prepare for the party as well.

After getting out of the shower, which worked so much better than the ones at Luna Nova, Akko laid down on the guest room's bed and waited patiently for the Cavendish family maid until she eventually heard a knock on the door.

“May I come in Miss Kagari?” said a voice from the other side of the door.

“Yeah, come right in.” She sat up in bed and watched Anna enter, holding a bunch of dresses and cosmetic tools in her arms. She eyed the array of items curiously. “What’s all that?”

“For you, of course. My lady has requested that I help you look your best for tonight.” Anna walked over to Akko and threw one of the many dresses she held at the poor girl.

“ACK- Hey!”

“Try this one on. I’d like to see which dress would be most… appropriate for you to wear.” The woman turned around and busied herself by organizing the cosmetic products she had brought. Akko internally pouted at the maid’s brusqueness but did as she was told. 

“Just to make things clear, I don’t hate you,” Anna spoke up. “Quite the opposite actually. You did save the Cavendish name from suffering a large blow, not to mention you also saved my young lady’s life on multiple occasions. It’s clear that you are very important to Diana and I assume you feel the same way about her, yes?”

The girl whirled around to look at the woman in disbelief. The maid was smiling now. “Please do your best to look after her at Luna Nova when I can’t. Believe it or not, Diana is all I have left in this life.... And do remember that you are very welcome in this estate; even Lady Daryl speaks rather highly of you.”

“Woah... Thank you Anna.”

“Now,” the woman picked up a hairbrush. “Let’s get you looking presentable for the party.”

 

After about an hour of agonizing preparations, Akko was finally party-ready. She had on an elegant maroon colored sleeveless dress that reached all the way to the floor and her hair was all down without its usual side ponytail.

“My lady said she would meet you down in the ballroom. I trust you’ll behave yourself,” Anna bowed and left the room.

 _Oh geeeez. Is it time already?_ Akko started to walk down one of the many long hallways. _What if I embarrass myself like at Andrew’s party? Well, to be fair that was the Love Bee’s fault. I just hope I don’t cause any trouble for Diana. She was nice enough to bring me here as a guest so the least I could do is meet her expectations._

The girl’s worries melted away once she opened the doors to the ballroom. Not only was it huge, but it was polished and decorated from top to bottom. Everything in it seemed like it was sparkling. There were tables on each side of the room with various extravagant drinks, foods, and desserts, which she was dying to stuff her face with once she had the chance. 

While everything in the hall was breathtaking, the thing that caught Akko’s attention the most was her blonde friend on the other side of the room. The girl was standing with her arms crossed, talking to one of the servants about something.

 _Woah. Diana looks… like a knockout!_ Akko was basically drooling. The heiress was wearing a brilliant light blue dress that brushed against the floor. Her hair was tied up in a ballerina bun, highlighting her pearl necklace and matching blue earrings. Akko was sure of it now, blue was definitely the girl’s color. Their eyes met and Diana hastily ended her conversation with the servants and rushed over to her awe-stricken friend. 

“Akko...” Diana’s jaw dropped and her eyes fluttered all over the place while she stared at the brunette. “You look wonderful!”

The genuinity in her friend’s voice threw her off, but she quickly recovered from her minor shock. “Me? What about you Diana?! You look amazing!” 

The girl smiled at the compliment and Akko swore the simple expression made the room brighter than all 8 of the room’s chandeliers combined. “I knew you’d fit right in. I’m sure everyone will be charmed when I introduce you to them,” the blonde insisted. 

“Haaaa. I hope you’re right about that,” she replied nervously. 

“You have nothing to worry about Akko, I promise.” Diana glanced at the door. “Oh, the guests will be arriving soon. I have to go with Aunt Daryl to greet them at the entrance. I’ll come find you again later,” she said as she began to walk away.

“Wait!” Akko lightly tugged on the girl’s dress before she could hurry away. “Uhmmm, I don’t really know anybody here except you though…”

Diana gave her a sympathetic look. “I believe Hannah and Barbara will be here soon, you can associate with them. And if not you can always hang around Andrew whenever he shows up.” Her voice had a hint of venom when mentioning the boy’s name.

“Oh. I forgot that they were coming.”

“So you’ll be ok then?” she asked and when Akko nodded in confirmation she rushed away with a, “See you soon.”

Akko watched her go, still in complete mesmerization at the girl’s beauty. She shook her head and attempted to distract herself from the strange, growing feeling in her chest. _Nooow, where was I?_ She focused her attention back to the pastry table.

 

A few minutes later the guests finally began to pour into the grand room, with Hannah and Barbara being two of them. They were both dressed elegantly and were actually being surprisingly nice and polite to her for a change. In fact, once anybody got to really know Akko, it was hard not to like her.

“Eeeek! Andrew Hanbridge has finally arrived! And he’s walking towards us!” Barbara squealed.

“How do we look?” Hannah and Barbara asked simultaneously.

“Uhhh you look fine?” Akko replied. She never really understood the craze about that boy. Of course he was relatively attractive, but there was no need for any girl to get so excited over something like that. Yes, she had been a little flustered when the Love Bee had made him profess his “love” for her, but wouldn’t anybody be in that situation?

The boy made his way through the growing crowd and stopped once he reached the three girls. “Good evening Hannah, Barbara.” Andrew nodded his head before turning to the brunette. “And hello again, Akko.” He flashed a smile at all of them.

Hannah and Barbara couldn’t formulate words correctly enough to make a response, but Akko could tell that they were fangirling about the fact that Andrew actually remembered their names. 

_Man, this guy has it easy with all the ladies. Thank God Diana’s not like those two clowns,_ Akko thought as she looked over at the very thirsty witches from the blue team. Even though she hated to admit it, she was glad to see Andrew again. After all, it was safe to say that they were pretty good friends now.

“Yo Andrew, long time no see. How are things going in Appleton?” she asked.

“Oh the usual. Everything’s basically back to normal after the incident with the missile. Unfortunately things are a little dull when we don’t have the witches of Luna Nova around to make things interesting for us again,” he joked.

“So you’re saying you like having witches like us around?” She decided to play along.

“Hmmm I suppose my friends and I do find you ladies rather entertaining. Certainly more entertaining than daily life at Appleton, for that matter.”

Akko chuckled. She was happy to hear that even Andrew, in his own pretentious way, had started to gain more of an appreciation for witches and magic. 

“Well then we’ll definitely come and visit you sometimes!” Hannah butted in while Barbara nodded along at the suggestion eagerly.

“Yes, you both are most welcome to drop in whenever. Akko you should visit as well, I’m getting tired of being the one that has to travel to Luna Nova all the time just to be able to have a conversation with you,” Andrew replied while suddenly grabbing Akko’s hand and bringing it close to his face.

The girl was a little more than caught off guard. “Oh... sure I guess I’ll visit when I can. I’ll bring Diana along too!”

He frowned a little bit. “Diana? I didn’t realize you two had gotten that close. When did you-”

“Ahem!”

The group of 4 turned around to see Diana staring at them maliciously with a raised eyebrow. “Gossiping about me at my own party now, are we?”

The boy attempted to explain. “Oh hey Diana. We were just talking about-”

“Never mind that,” Diana cut in again. “Andrew, would you mind going with Hannah and Barbara to get some refreshments for all of us?”

“You’re the host, shouldn’t you be serving us?” He asked teasingly.

The girl gave him one of her practiced smiles. “Be a gentleman, won’t you? I’m just so parched after greeting all of those guests.” 

Andrew shrugged his shoulders and gave in before leaving for the refreshments table with Hannah and Barbara enthusiastically clinging to both sides of him.

 _What was that all about?_ Akko wondered. 

Diana shot her a concerned look as soon as it seemed that the boy had gone out of earshot. “Did he say anything to you? Did he ask you anything?”

“Uhhh, he just said he missed having witches around and that he wanted me to visit Appleton more often. Why, is something wrong?”

“I see…” The heiress mumbled while paying no attention to the girl’s previous question.

After a few moments, Andrew and the two other girls arrived back with drinks in their hands for the group. Before he even had the chance to offer them to anyone, Diana stabbed another request at the poor, unsuspecting boy. “Andrew, do you mind if I speak to you privately for a moment? We can step outside into the courtyard.”

“Uhm. Sure, I guess?” He reluctantly agreed once he saw how pissed off the heiress looked.

She turned to address Akko. “I won’t be long. When I return, I’ll take you around to meet everybody, ok?” She smiled warmly.

“Errrr ok,” Akko replied. The girl was certainly acting very weird. She couldn’t really think of anything in particular that had happened in the last 10 minutes to set Diana off like that.

The remaining three girls kept quiet as they waited for Diana and Andrew to leave the room. “What just happened?” Hannah asked when they had finally gone.

“I have no clue.” 

 

\-------------

 

Diana stormed angrily through the manor while Andrew struggled to keep up behind her. She had been having a ruthless headache all evening and talking to him was definitely not going to alleviate it in any way.

She tried to calm herself by thinking about Akko and surprisingly, it actually worked a little. It was hard for her not to be in a good mood when the Japanese girl popped into her mind. And when she had seen the girl tonight, she had almost lost her mind. 

_Akko looked so beautiful in that dress. And her hair was down too! I almost lost my composure when I first saw her and if that happened it would have been pretty embarrassing..._

“So what did you want to talk to me about?” Andrew’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She hadn’t realized that they had already reached the courtyard. The star filled sky and the cool night breeze encircled the pair.

Diana pivoted around to look the boy straight in the eyes. “How do you feel about Akko?”

The boy looked surprised at first, but his face quickly shifted into a nonchalant expression. “Ohh. So that’s what this is all about.”

“Answer my question.”

He sighed. “Atsuko Kagari has recently become a very good friend of mine. In fact, I happen to be very fond of her and lately I’ve been distraught that we don’t get to see each other very often.”

Her heart sank at his answer. Not out of pity for the arrogant boy standing in front of her, but because he had exactly what it took to take Akko away from her. She knew that there was only one reason she had brought Andrew out here. It was because she was jealous. It took a lot of courage for Diana to finally be able to realize that Akko was becoming more than a friend to her. 

Her head was throbbing, but she ignored it.

“I saw the way you were looking at her. And you even held her hand! Just what are your intentions?” she asked cautiously. The confidence she had at the beginning of the day was beginning to drain out of her body. After all, Andrew was one of the most sought out boys in all of England and Diana was just… Diana. Sure she was popular with the boys too, but that didn’t exactly help her in this situation. Nothing would change the fact that her and Akko were both girls.

“Don’t worry," Andrew scoffed. "I wouldn’t even dream of pursuing her.”

She shot him a nasty look. _What is that supposed to mean? Is she not good enough for your arrogant tastes?_

“Woahhh haha don’t give me that face. I don’t mean it like that,” he smirked as if he had read her mind. “It’s undeniable that Akko is a wonderful young lady. However, I just don’t believe it’s the best idea for us to intertwine our worlds. They are very different after all. I can’t see it ending happily for either of us.”

Diana breathed out a sigh of relief that she hoped Andrew hadn’t heard.

“But what does any of this matter to you?” The boy asked with genuine confusion. When she remained silent, he widened his eyes and dropped his mouth open. “No way. Diana, you don’t happen to… _like_ Akko, do you?”

She turned tomato red at his statement. 

“You, Diana Cavendish, having a little girl crush on Akko, out of all people?! How absurd!” He laughed out loud.

“It’s-It’s not like that! And exactly _what_ is so funny about this?!” 

“Ohhh nothing really. It’s just that I find the situation between you two to be a little amusing. I was wondering why Akko was always bringing you up into our conversations. It’s always ‘Diana this’ and ‘Diana that’ with her.” Andrew said while still chuckling.

_Wait what? She talks about me?_

He regained his composure and adjusted his tie. “Anyways, you can rest assured. I won’t make any moves on Akko, I can promise you that. I don’t have any feelings like that towards her and I don’t exactly want to get into this whole mess with the two of you.”

Diana felt a heavy weight lifted off of her chest. She no longer had to worry about anyone falling for that dunce of a witch. She had her all to herself.

“Besides,” he continued. “You might get angry at me if I steal your girl.” 

The boy winked and she felt her blood boil. “You couldn’t take her from me if you tried!” she blurted out impulsively.

Andrew stood there stunned and amused while Diana once again stormed off with the intention of returning to the party. _Ugh, why is he always so obnoxious. Well, at least I don’t have to worry about him going after Akko anymore. I think… she might even feel the same way about me…_ She smiled at the thought and put a little more pep into her step, eager to get back to her friends. _But… what on Earth is wrong with my head?!_

Ever since returning from the lake, her head had been pulsating with an intense headache. She thought nothing of it at first and popped down a few aspirins, but now the magnitude of the pain was starting to concern her. Not only that, but she felt a sore throat and a fever coming on as well.

 _I was just sick, there’s no way it could happen again this soon._ Diana massaged her temples and slumped down onto one of the walls until a particularly strong surge of pain in her head caused her to completely pass out.

 

\---------------

 

Akko was, of course, enjoying the party. It was hard not to, what with all the wonderfully dressed people surrounding her and most importantly, the food table. However, Diana’s absence was starting to cancel out any of the cheerful feelings she was feeling and replaced them with concern.

“Hey, Diana’s been gone for a pretty long time. Do you think she’s ok?” She turned to Hannah and Barbara who also seemed a little worried at their friend's absence.

“You’re right. What could she be doing with Andrew after all this time?” Hannah asked.

Barbara gave a little gasp. “You don’t think... she wants him all to herself?!”

“Eh? There’s no way! Diana thinks Andrew's super annoying,” Akko replied plainly.

She said that, but mostly it was to reassure herself. It was a little weird to admit it, but she definitely did not like the idea of Diana liking that stuck up guy. _Yeahhhh there’s just no way that could ever happen. They don’t like each other at all. Wait...why am I getting so upset about this?_

A realization finally popped into Akko’s head and she internally admitted that she may have a tiny, little crush on the heiress. She desperately tried to shove that feeling back down to wherever it came from because surely, it would be impossible for Diana to even remotely feel the same way about her. Just thinking about the absurdity of it made her very disheartened.

“Oh look, Andrew’s come back,” Barbara remarked.

She watched as Andrew walked back into the ballroom, looking a little more shaken than when he left. _Ah, yes he is back. Wait, where’s Diana?_

“Welcome back Andrew!” The duo fawned over him once again.

“Diana isn’t with you?” Akko asked suspiciously.

“Hm? Well when we finished our conversation she left ahead of me, but I assumed she made her way back here before I did.” He looked around and seemed genuinely confused. “Is she not here?” 

“Haha you don’t think she got lost in her own mansion, right?” Akko joked.

Hannah facepalmed. “There’s no way, you doofus…”

“Yeahh you’re probably right. Well, I’m gonna go look for her,” she said while hurriedly heading for the door. “You guys don’t have to come if you don’t want. I’m sure she’s probably just taking care of some Cavendish stuff.” 

“Wait! We’re coming too,” Hannah and Barbara replied while moving to follow her out. 

Andrew shrugged his shoulders. “I’ll wait here and let you know if she comes back.”

The three girls nodded in confirmation before leaving the party behind them. They made their way to the courtyard only to find that it was empty. Akko was trying to think of any possibilities as to where Diana could be, but she was drawing a blank on the seemingly infinite amount of areas in the Cavendish household. The blue team pair was starting to a look a little worried.

“It’s not like Diana to miss this much of her own party. I’ve never known her to leave her guests unattended for this long,” said Hannah.

“That’s true, but she wasn’t really fond of parties to begin with. Maybe she just went to take a break somewhere?” Barbara added hopefully.

Akko was not convinced. “Guys, let’s split up and look for her. She’s gotta be around here somewhere.”

The trio agreed and all headed off into different directions. Akko decided that she might be better off if she checked in the areas near the ballroom. 

_Dang it, isn’t there a spell for locating lost witches or something?_ She quickened her pace. _Not that I would know it anyways…_ She turned every corner hoping to see the beautiful welcoming smile that she had grown to love, but had no luck with encountering the currently elusive heiress. _Maaan. Where in the world could she be-EEEE OW!_

The clumsy girl tripped over something and slammed face first into the hard marble floor. “Ouuuchhh… man, what did I even trip on-wha?” She snapped her head back to look at the obstacle responsible for her fall. “Diana?!”

At last, she had finally found the missing girl! And ironically, said girl was actually the thing that she had tripped on in the first place. But what was she doing on the floor?

“Geez Diana! What are you doing here? Everybody’s looking for you-” 

_Wait, something’s not right._ She squinted her eyes to get a better look at Diana in the dark hallway. She was lying with her back against the wall, unconscious. Her eyebrows were twisted into a knot and her breathing was unrhythmic and ragged. When Akko felt her forehead it was even hotter than the last time the girl was sick.

 _Ohmygosh ohmygosh. Not again. What do I do, what do I do?!_

“Diana!” She squatted down next to the witch and tried to shake her awake. “Diana, can you hear me?! What happened?!”

The only response Akko got out of her was a disoriented mumble. “Just hold on Diana, I’ll go get help!” The Japanese girl started to run into the direction of the party but abruptly stopped. She looked back at her friend. _Hold on... I can’t just leave her here._

“Right.” She marched back and scooped Diana up in her arms. “Upsy-daisy.”

_Huh. She’s taller than me and yet she’s not heavy at all._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, they both like each other! At least that part won't be complicated!  
> Or will it??  
> Leave kudos and comments and I'll love you forever.


	6. Chapter 6

The night of the party had been, in Diana’s opinion, a disaster. Not only had she collapsed in the hallway, but she had also managed to send all of her friends on a wild goose chase after her. Luckily once Akko had found her, the sweet witch gently carried her all the way up to her bedroom and soon after brought a few maids in hopes that they would know how to handle the situation.

Of course once news broke out that Diana Cavendish was feeling unwell, the party guests were sent home early with apologetic regards. If the girl had been in her usual able-bodied condition, she would have felt immensely embarrassed. However in her current state, she was too exhausted to care about what anyone thought of her right now. 

After all the guests had been escorted out, the manor’s main staff promptly gathered in the young heiress’s bedroom. By then she had regained consciousness, not feeling any better than she did earlier in the evening. 

Anna clapped her hands to draw the attention of the spectators in the room. “Ok everyone. I know you’re all very concerned about the young lady, but it would be best if we left her alone to rest for the night.” She opened the door and ushered all the other servants out of the room before turning around and sighing. “That means you four as well.”

Akko, Andrew, Hannah and Barbara were all standing cautiously in the corner of the room with sullen faces. The three girls looked particularly heart-broken. “But what about Diana? Is she gonna be ok?” Hannah asked with tears in her eyes.

“She’ll be fine after some sleep. That’s why I really need all of you to leave please.”

Warily, Andrew headed out of the room first, followed by Diana’s two roomates. Akko was the last to leave. She had her head down and was completely silent as she dragged her feet across the room.

“Akko wait.” Diana strained her voice from across the room. “Thanks… for carrying me.”

The brunette looked up and blinked. She had a look of longing in those sad crimson eyes that Diana couldn’t quite place. “Anytime. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” Her reply sounded emotionless and drained, which was wildly different from her usual upbeat attitude. It sent a pang through her chest.

Akko walked out and Anna closed the door behind her, leaving the two of them alone in the room. “Now, my young lady,” the maid walked over to her bedside. “I’d like to do a proper examination of your illness. Is that alright with you?”

What she really wanted more than anything at the moment was to be left alone with her thoughts, but she calmly agreed to the woman’s request. After all, it would be better if Anna could get to the bottom of this and diagnose whatever stupid cold she had caught this time so that she could quickly treat it. 

After a few minutes of temperature taking and symptom listing, Anna consulted one of the many large textbooks that the Cavendish household kept handy in hopes of benefitting their medical aid. It took a while before Diana began to notice that her maid had been reading the same page over and over again for almost 10 minutes now. “Is there a problem Anna? Did you find out what’s wrong with me?”

The woman only gave her an anxious look in response. “What is it Anna? Just tell me. I’m sure it’s not that serious. Is it the flu perhaps?” 

“My lady… you- you have my deepest apologies.” The woman bowed her head dramatically. 

_What is she going on about?_ Diana was beginning to get a little worried. “What... do you mean?”

Anna continued with pain in her voice. “We all thought- it wasn’t hereditary but all the symptoms match up. Bernadette… Your mother started out exactly like this too. At first she started to get sick more often and then it just progressively got worse until-”

 _No. No I don’t believe it. Please no._

The woman continued to talk for a while after that, but the only thing that Diana could hear was white noise. It was as if her whole world had imploded. Her hands clammed up. Her vision started to blur. Her brain couldn’t quite put a proper thought together. 

“I’m so sorry Diana,” the maid apologized with genuine pain in her voice. “This illness… I’m afraid it’s the same as your mother’s.”

 _Why. Why now? Everything was going perfectly,_ she thought as she tried her very best to remain composed in front of her long time family maid. “You mustn't tell anyone Anna. Do you understand?” she inclined sternly.

“And why not?! Surely I need to tell your doctors! They need to give you the proper medicine and such! How else would we be able to treat this illness withou-”

“There’s no need for that,” Diana replied bluntly. “You of all people should know that there is absolutely no way of treating this. Everything, including the strongest of magic, was used in attempts to heal my mother, but in the end it was all in vain. Nothing helped.”

“We have to try _something_. Maybe it’ll be different for you,” Anna added hopefully.

“It won’t be.”

There was a very long silence between the two before the blonde spoke up again. “I’d like to be left alone now please, if you don’t mind.”

Anna nodded reluctantly and left, leaving Diana all alone in the very room she grew up in. The same room that her mother and her had shared so many fond memories in. The same books on the shelves that her mother had read and reread to her before tucking her in and kissing her goodnight. The same bed that she had slept in while dreaming about becoming a great witch like Shiny Chariot someday. 

She didn’t sob. She didn’t wail. She just silently pulled the covers over her head like she did when she was a child and let the hot tears that she couldn’t hold back anymore pour down onto her old pajamas.

 

\---------------------

 

Diana spent the rest of the four day weekend in bed recovering. Akko would have liked to have seen more of her friend, but for some reason the manor’s staff was very persistent about the girl’s privacy. She had only been allowed brief visits with the girl before being forced out of the room. If anything, the visits only made her more anxious.

All the while the blonde witch would insist that she was fine, but Akko concluded otherwise. She knew Diana a lot better now than she had a year ago. She knew when the girl was lying, she just didn’t know what she was lying about. It also wasn’t hard to notice that the girl was clearly straining herself to appear healthier than she actually was when talking to her. She tried to hide it, but Akko could tell that Diana was probably feeling pretty bad. Compared to the last time she got sick, she had a lot less energy this time and an occasional small cough.

When Akko wasn’t attempting to sneak into the heiress’s room, she spent most of her time wandering around the mansion while pestering Daryl, Maril and Merill, much to their annoyance. Thank goodness they were a lot nicer than they had been before.

She was quickly beginning to find that her time spent at the Cavendish mansion was becoming very dull. One would think that it would be any teenage girl’s dream to spend a weekend in a mansion filled with every luxury she could wish for, but to Akko it just didn’t feel right at all. She wanted to tease Diana about how sensitive the English immune system was, but she figured that would probably be in poor taste at the moment. Why did their perfect plans have to go to shit over some stupid cold?

The two were originally scheduled to go back to Luna Nova the night before school started, but the heiress still hadn't fully recovered for some reason. She wondered why it would even take the girl so long to recover from some small cold, but she tried to push any negative thoughts correlating to Diana out of her head. 

In the end, and much to her servants disapproval, Diana demanded that she return back to school with Akko even if she was in no shape to travel. They went by car of course, considering neither of the girls were qualified to fly at the moment. The drive was around 7 hours long and about 10 minutes into it, the blonde had already begun to doze off and unintentionally drooped her sleepy head onto Akko’s unsuspecting shoulder. She tried not to panic that the girl she liked was practically on top of her and prayed that there was a lot of traffic so that she could savor the glorious moment.

Once they returned to school, Diana excused herself to go rest some more in her dorm room. Akko thanked her for the invitation and gave her an awkward goodbye. Neither of them knew what to say after that disaster of a weekend. 

 

After the entire fiasco, Akko unenthusiastically trudged her way back to her dorm room and was actually relieved to see her two unchanged roommates. 

Sucy, who was sitting at the desk and tinkering with one of her many glass bottles, turned around in her chair. “Ah. Akko’s back from her honeymoon,” she announced with her usual colorless tone.

Lotte looked up from the book she was reading. “Oh, Akko! You’re back! How did your trip to Diana’s house go? I’m totally jealous. You’re so lucky spending 4 days in a fancy mansion. I bet you got spoiled to death~”

“Errrr actually…” 

She explained to her roommates the unfortunate events about the day of the party, excluding the parts where she was fawning over how incredibly breathtaking Diana had looked in her dress, and about how she spent the next 3 days wandering the mansion alone and bored.

“Oh my gosh, is Diana all right? I thought she was just recently sick though,” the Finnish witch scratched her head.

“That’s exactly what I thought!” Akko jumped off of her bed in frustration. “And her servants were being really weird about not letting me see her the whole weekend.”

“Did you at least have fun?” Sucy asked hopefully.

“In the beginning yeah, but I spent the rest of the weekend on the borderline of a heart attack from worrying about her so much!!” She plopped down on her bed and buried her face into her pillow. “Why do I even care so much about this anyways. It shouldn’t be a big deal to me, but it is.”

Lotte sympathetically patted her on the back. “Cheer up Akko. It’s not that bad. It’ll all blow over in a couple of days.”

“I hope so.”

 

The next few days, Diana was absent from class in order to recover. Akko had found them to be the longest few days of her life. Class was already hard enough before, but now it was even harder when she found herself tuning out the professors and shifting her thoughts to the missing girl. She was finding it to be increasingly strange that her love for magic and her love for Luna Nova was slowly being overcome by the unhappiness she felt when her new friend wasn’t around to share the everyday joys of school with her.

At some point during the week, she had started to realize that her feelings for Diana Cavendish were becoming a little more serious than she had originally thought they were.

 

\------------------------

 

The first thing Diana did when she arrived back at her dorm room was rush right over to her bookshelf. Luckily, Hannah and Barbara weren’t in the room at the the moment so they wouldn’t question what she was about to do. She adored them dearly, but sometimes they were just too nosy for their own good. 

She cracked open one of the large medical magic encyclopedias and searched the index pages. _Ok, let’s see… “S” section. Hmmmmm._ Her head was a little foggy from the long car ride, but she was driven to at least do something as simple as this by herself. She traced down the list of medical terms on the page before finally finding the one she was looking for. _Aha! Here it is, Salander’s Affliction. Page 560._

She flipped to the page and immediately began to absorb all of the information. However she wasn’t looking for the symptoms of Salander’s Affliction, otherwise known as the illness that killed her mother. Diana was actually looking for the magic spell that would test for the presence of the disease. Yes, Anna had already diagnosed her with having it, but she just couldn’t accept this fate unless she was able to confirm it for herself. After all, this was her life she was talking about here. She needed to be 100% positive.

She found the testing spell at the very bottom of the page. _Ok so it says that I just have to offer a few drops of blood on a piece of paper and say the incantation. It’ll turn blue if I don’t have the illness, and green if I do._

Diana took out a sheet of paper on her desk and found a pin from one of her drawers. She shut her eyes tight and gave her thumb a deep prick with the pin. More than a few drops of her blood spilled out from her finger and onto the paper, but she figured that it was probably all right. She removed her wand from her blue waistband and waved it in the air while saying the spell. 

Then she held her breath and waited. 

It felt like the longest few seconds in the world before the paper finally turned into a bright, disgusting green. Never before had she ever felt such hatred bubble up inside of her at the sight of the color. Whatever hope Diana had been holding onto was ripped away right then and there.

She gripped at her hair while slumping down onto the side of her bed. That’s it. Her life was over. Her future was over. Whatever she had wanted to do with her life before was all meaningless now. Just when she had found happiness with her magic and with her new perspective on life, she realized it was all going to end soon anyways. 

Diana put her head in her hands and reminded herself of one sentence in particular that she had just read in the encyclopedia. _**Although extremely rare, Salander’s Affliction is incurable and will always lead to an early death.**_

All kinds of negative thoughts began swirling around in her head until a certain witch’s goofy smile popped into her stream of thoughts and before long, Diana found herself smiling right along with her. _Akko… she’s always smiling no matter what. Her first year at Luna Nova was filled with nothing but misfortune, and yet I rarely saw her without a smile on her face._

She clenched her fists. _That’s right, I have to be optimistic about my situation! There has to be a cure for my illness. I just have to hold out for a little while longer._ She let out a shaky breath. _Everything will be just fine. I’ll go to school like normal and I’ll talk to everyone like nothing’s wrong. There’s absolutely no way I’m telling anyone about this. Especially Akko._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha if any of you noticed, the name I used for the illness, “Salander” is from The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. It’s the character Lisbeth’s last name. Thought it sounded cool so I decided to use it.  
> Also I read the book and it is the looooongest thing ever.


	7. Chapter 7

“Akkooo. Wake up already. We’ll be late for first period.”

“Mmmf. 10 more minutes.”

“But class starts in 9 minutes,” Lotte sighed.

Akko groaned and rolled off of her bed. “Fiiine, gimme a sec. Don’t leave without me.” Lately, she had been beginning to find her classes to be particularly more dull than usual. Maybe it was because the course material was getting harder orrrr maybe it was because Diana had been absent from school for 3 whole days. It was most likely the latter. 

It’s not that she wasn’t excited to learn about magic, it’s just that she would feel much more at ease if her friend was back in class and healthy. In fact, the last time Akko had actually seen her in person was when they had parted ways after returning from the Cavendish manor. And that was, well, 3 whole days ago. She had wanted to check in on the girl a couple of times to see how she was doing, but she figured that it would probably be best to not bother her. 

“Hey, we’re going to leave now, with or without you,” Sucy stated while walking out the door.

“Coming, coming.” She finished brushing her teeth and was still in the process of buttoning up her collar as she followed her roomates out into the hall. Lotte and Sucy were having a casual chat on their way to class. Akko decided to hang back a little to properly wake herself up.

_I should probably go see her after school today. It’s been long enough right? I’m sure she wouldn’t mind,_ she thought as she entered her first period class. There was the usual hustle and bustle of chatter one would expect to hear before a lesson started. Her gaze drifted lazily around the room as she eyed all of her classmates.

_Oh there’s the blue team. Hannah, Barbara, and…. DIANA?!_

Akko took a double take and yes, Diana was unmistakingly standing 20 feet away from her, casually chatting with her roommates and looking better than ever! She was barely able to contain her excitement at the sight. “Diana! You’re back!”

The blonde halted her conversation with her friends and turned around to see who it was that called her name so enthusiastically at 8 in the morning. Her face lit up when she pinpointed the culprit. “Oh Akko. Good morn- ooof!” Diana was almost knocked off her feet by the very excited Akko, who immediately wrapped the unsuspecting girl into a tight hug. “Uhhmmm Akko, I’m very glad to see you too, but we’re in the middle of a classroom and people are staring.”

This only made her bury her face deeper into the girl’s chest. Every inhale she took was as familiar as ever. Diana somehow always managed to smell refreshing, even after gym class. “I really missed you,” she mumbled into her friend’s shirt. 

At this point pretty much the entire class was looking at the interactions between the two, including both of their teammates. The heiress suddenly felt a whole lot warmer and her ears began to visibly redden. “D-don’t be silly. You saw me just a few days ago.”

Akko lifted her face and gave her friend a dopey grin. “I know. I just got worried.”

“Well all right.” Diana couldn’t help but laugh at the girl’s face. “Thank you for the concern, but as you can see I’m fine now.” She pinched Akko’s cheek in retaliation.

“Owowowow!”

“I’ll see you at lunch then?”

Akko rigorously nodded her head until Diana finally let go.

“Ok class is starting now, get back to your seat and make sure you pay attention.”

“Yes ma'aaaam.” The Japanese witch rubbed her cheek and sat down next to her two roommates. _Phewwww, it seems like she’s back to normal. Thank goodness._

She knew that the girl had asked her to pay attention during class, but all period long she couldn't stop her eyes from drifting towards a certain bundle of platinum green hair.

 

\-------------

 

“Welcome back Miss Cavendish! We heard all about your unfortunate mishap last weekend from Akko. Sounds like a pretty bad time huh?” Amanda asked with her mouth full of food.

Diana had just gotten her lunch tray and had barely even sat down before the redhead had taken the opportunity to bring up her shortcomings. She knew the girl meant well though. It just took a little while to get used to the way Amanda expressed her feelings and after all the time she had spent with the American during meals lately, it was hard not to know her humor by now. 

“Wha- Amanda! That’s rude!” Akko said while elbowing the girl in the ribs.

“It is? Whoops sorry, I was just trying to make conversation.”

Diana quickly readjusted. “No that’s quite all right. It was a rather unpleasant turn of events, but I can assure you that it won’t happen again.”

_Wow. That was a big lie,_ she reminded herself. She kept forgetting about the fact that she had so little time left to find a cure for herself. This was now her reality, but she still sometimes felt like she was in some kind of a dream, or to be more accurate, a nightmare.

“Well we’re all glad to have you back with us Diana,” Lotte interrupted her train of thoughts with a sincere smile. 

“Oh yes, especially Akko. She would not shut up about you,” Sucy added comically.

“Sucy!” Akko squeaked. The girl certainly looked flustered as she tried to cover Sucy’s mouth with her hand and shrieked when the latter bit her. The two red team witches then proceeded to engage in their usual bickering, which Diana actually found to be somewhat comforting. Yes it was kind of annoying, but it reminded her to enjoy every moment she was able to spend with her friends. Especially since it wouldn’t be long before… _No,_ she stopped herself. _There is a way to get rid of this thing. I just have to keep looking and stay positive._

“Oh Diana that reminds me,” Akko remarked while taking a bite of her sandwich. “Are you coming after school today? You know… to help me out with flying lessons?” When Diana didn’t immediately answer, she panicked. “Only if you’re up for it though! You totally don’t have to if you don’t want to. Plus I don’t want you straining yourself, I mean since you just got back and everything.”

“Akko relax,” she gave her friend an amused smile. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

The girl widened her eyes and beamed. “Oh. Great! I’ll make sure not to fall on my face this time.”

“This time?” Diana gave her a questioning look.

Amanda laughed. “Yeah she faceplants about 5 times every lesson. I took a video of it once. Wanna see?”

“Amanda!! I thought you deleted it?!” 

“Nahhh I plan on releasing it when you’re famous like Chariot. Then I can blackmail you with it.”

“WHA-?”

Diana interrupted the two. “Hold on, I’d actually like to take a look at that video if you don’t mind.” 

 

\----------------

 

After what felt like an eternity of cancellations, Akko was finally going to be able to show off her new flying skills to Diana. Well, the term ‘flying skills’ might be a little bit too fancy considering all she could do at the moment was fly in a straight line and maybe sneak in a couple of wide turns every now and then. Still though, she was determined to show her friend that she wasn’t totally incompetent in basic magic. The other 7 girls in their group had tagged along to watch her as well, but they were busy enjoying a picnic about 20 yards away, so today it was just Diana helping her at the moment. 

“Ready when you are,” the heiress stated. She had suggested that they do a lap around the school first so that she could see where Akko was skill-wise and give her pointers on what she needed to improve on. 

Akko nodded and gave her a thumbs up. “Tia freyre!” It took some time, but her broom managed to shakily make its way off of the ground and take its position several feet into the air. 

Diana followed right beside her. “Just take it slow, I’m not really looking for speed right now. It’s all about control,” she said soothingly.

“Got it.” She flew carefully around the school for what seemed to be around 10 minutes. Amanda’s record for a lap around the school was exactly 1 minute and 13 seconds and the proud American would never miss an opportunity to tease her for being such a slowpoke during their lessons. Akko was currently feeling pretty self conscious about her pace, but for some reason Diana looked completely pleased with it.

“That was perfect!” she exclaimed. “For someone who didn’t know how to fly a broom at all last year, you’re doing incredibly well.”

She tried hard not to blush. “Nahhhh, you’re just being polite. Amanda says I still suck.”

“No, it’s true! After I had lost my magic, it took me years to be able to fly properly again. By those standards, I’d say you’re making great progress.” The blonde glanced down at the redhead below them who appeared to be enjoying one of Jasminka’s sandwiches while laying in the grass next to Hannah. “And as for Amanda, she should learn to be more encouraging to someone who just saved the world.”

Akko laughed. “Oh I’m definitely gonna bring that up next time she tries to tease me. Then she’ll have to shut up.”

The pair continued to fly around the school some more, but this time with Diana giving all sorts of pointers on the importance of technique. Her suggestions were gentle and precise, which was quite the difference from Amanda's brash teaching methods. Before they had even noticed it, the sun began to set and their friends on the ground were starting to wrap up their picnic. Lotte waved up at them in order to get their attention. “C’mon you two, we’re going to start heading back to our dorms now,” she called.

“Oh, is it that late already?” Akko asked. She looked at the sky that was now painted a beautiful pink and smiled. “I guess time flies when we’re together.”

Diana smiled back. “Yes, I guess it does. We should probably get back now though, we still have to start our homework.”

“Ughhhhh don’t remind me.”

Akko was about to follow her friend down, who had proceeded to gracefully coast towards the ground, before she remembered something dreadful. She was absolutely horrible at landing a broom. 

She facepalmed. _Damn it, I totally forgot that I’m the worst lander in the history of Luna Nova! What do I do?_ She looked to Diana expectantly, but the girl was already safely on the ground and had her back turned as she headed towards the rest of the group. _If I ask her for help now she’s gonna think I’m annoying. I just have to pray that I don’t fail too hard…_

She grit her teeth and tried to slowly descend to the floor in the way that she saw Diana do earlier. Unsurprisingly, her attempts were not successful at all. She was coming in way too fast and any attempts to stop or slow down only sent her twisting spasmodically. Of course, to top off her bad luck, she was unintentionally making a beeline straight for the heiress. “Outta the way Diana!!!” she shouted in vain. 

The girl turned around just in time to get a good look at Akko right before she slammed into her, knocking both of them onto the grass. The brunette got up lightning fast, plucking the clumps of grass and dirt off of her face. “Oh my gosh, Diana I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” 

_Oh she’s gonna kill me for sure._

She helped her friend up and was relieved to see that she had no external injuries. “Yes, somehow I’m fine,” Diana said calmly while brushing the dirt off of the front of her skirt. “However, I do believe we need to work on your landings.”

“Soooo you’re not mad?”

“No, not at all. Accidents happen and everyone makes mistakes, you more than most people,” she said with a hint of amusement in her voice. “I’ll make sure to stay a good 10 feet out of your way when you land tomorrow.”

Akko let out a sigh of relief. “Cool, so you’re still coming tomorrow?”

“Of course, I’d love to.” Diana paused and scrunched up her face as if she were considering something. “But you’d better stop by the laundry room before going back to your dorm for the night. Those grass stains on your uniform will be hard to get out if you let it sit for too long.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol there’s a part in the Little Witch Academia game, The Chamber of Time, where you can choose Diana in a contest to make her do laundry and apparently she’s good at it. I find that to be HilARioUs and I don’t know why, but oh well. We stan a rich laundry queen I guess?


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> D-d-d-d-date chapter!

The day after was pretty similar to all the other times Akko and Diana had hung out together except this time, they worked on landings. The next day it was handling and the next day after that it was speed and so on and so forth. About a month had passed and everyday after school without fail, unless it was raining, the pair would spend time flying around campus together. In fact, Akko had practiced flying so much lately, that she was now just as good as everyone else. Maybe not as good as Diana or Amanda, but decent enough to keep up with the rest of the girls in her year. 

Sometimes it was just the two of them, and other times the rest of their friends tagged along and joined in on the fun. Ever since everyone began eating lunch together everyday, it was only natural for the three teams to eat breakfast and dinner together too. Before they knew it, all 9 of the witches had gotten to know each other better than they ever had in the past.

Today had been another typical Friday night and Akko had just gotten back from one of her flying lessons with Diana. As usual, she was completely wiped out by the end of the day so she wasn’t able to do anything more than promptly change into her pajamas and plop face down into her bed.

Lotte swung her head over the top of the bunk in means of starting a conversation. “You’re back pretty late again, Akko. Did you guys have fun?” she asked cheerily. 

“Yup!! Diana taught me how to do this really cool trick where you can make sparkles come out of your broom while you’re flying! I think I’ll try doing that during one of my shows in the future.” 

Sucy snickered mischievously from her side of the room. “You two seem to be getting along pretty well lately. Is there something you want to tell us?” She was always one to tease the brunette, but this time it didn’t seem like there were any traces of ill will in her words.

“I dunno, but I really like her,” Akko blurted out and instantly felt an aftershock of embarrassment. Usually she tried to be straightforward about any feelings that she had, but she was very mixed up about what she felt towards Diana. She had already accepted that she liked the girl as more than a friend. It was figuring out what she would do with these developing feelings that confused her.

Suddenly both of her roommates were staring at her with very excited looks on their faces, and for Sucy to show any expression at all really meant that she was interested. Akko could understand Lotte’s enthusiasm for this turn of events, being the Night Fall romance fanatic that she was, but Sucy’s interest in her affairs was more than unexpected. It was a rare treat whenever the girl actually got involved with anything other than potions, poisons, or mushrooms.

“In exactly what way do you like her?” Sucy asked while raising an eyebrow. Akko turned bright red.

“Do you like her in a more than a friend way?” Lotte added. 

She turned an even darker red and left both questions unanswered, making the answer even more obvious to her two friends.

The Finnish girl eagerly grabbed a hold of Akko’s hands and bounced up and down vigorously. “Oh Akko, that’s wonderful news!” 

Sucy nodded in agreement. “Yes, for a while I thought you were gonna go after that Andrew guy. Thank God you didn’t, I can’t stand him.” It was funny how Andrew was popular in the outside world but when it came to Akko’s small group of friends, almost none of them cared for the guy, Diana being the one with the most distaste for him. 

“So have you told her or anything?” Lotte asked and when Akko shook her head she added, “Have you at least gone on a proper date? Like with just the two of you?”

She thought for a moment. “Uhhhh how about our flying lessons?”

“I hardly consider those flying lessons you have with her a date. You’re still on school grounds.” 

“What about eating meals together in the cafeteria?” Akko asked hopefully.

“You’re sitting with all of us! Of course it doesn’t count. You have to actually take her out somewhere nice,” Lotte said as a matter-of-factly.

Easier said than done. She was still nervous about the whole thing. She'd already convinced herself beforehand that there was almost no chance of Diana feeling the same way about her. However, her roommates seemed to think otherwise for some reason. “Do you really think she’d say yes? She seems pretty busy to me most of the time.”

Lotte paused for a second to rub her chin before starting again. “I thought so too but for as long as I’ve known Diana, I’ve never seen her make so much time for anyone else besides you. Not even for Hannah and Barbara! They hang around her during school, but they don’t dare ask for any of her free time. For the past year though, all she does is spend time with you. You’re definitely very special to her, Akko. I’d say you actually have a pretty good chance.”

“Yeah you’ve been really lucky so far. Don’t mess it up this time,” Sucy added.

She had never realized it before, but they were right. Diana _was_ spending an usually large amount of time with her lately. There were no ulterior motives she could think of either. It’s not like hanging out with her gave the girl any rewards, unless...

Akko shook the possibility out of her head. “I mean, it’s not like I can ask her out on a date or anything.”

“Sure you can. How else would you expect to let her know how you feel about her. She can’t just keep on guessing forever. Ambiguity is deadly,” stated Lotte.

“In fact,” Sucy said while standing up. “You should ask Diana right now. Tomorrow is Saturday so it’s perfect.” She yanked Akko off of her bed and started pushing her out the door. “Hurry up, before she falls asleep.”

“What?! I don’t even know what to say!”

The Night Fall fan gasped and clasped her hands together, acquiring that look in her eyes that Akko recognized as one she often had while reading over some sappy love scene. “Oh Akko! If it’s true love the words will come flowing out of you naturally!”

“True love??!! It’s not-” Akko turned around to face her friend but was instead greeted with a door slam in the face and the sound of the lock to their room clicking. 

_Ugh there’s no way they’re letting me back in until I ask her._ She looked down at her pajamas. “Heyyyy open up,” she banged on the door. “I can’t show up to Diana’s room in pajamas!”

“It’s fiiine,” Sucy called out from the other side of the door. “They give you a sort of… dorky airhead kind of look.”

 

_Maaaaaan,_ she grumbled to herself as she forcefully trudged her way through the dark halls of the Luna Nova dormitories. _I should be sleeping right now, but instead I’m being forced to humiliate myself in front of Diana. Obviously she’s gonna say no if I ask her on a date. There’s no point of me even doing this._

She slowed her pace in hopes of coming up with a gameplan before reaching the blue team’s room. _Yeahhh phrasing it as a date is wayyy too scary to even think about. Hmmmm.. Then what if I just ask her to hang out without saying it's a date? Like some girl on girl bonding time._ She rubbed her chin. _I guess that can work out. Better than the alternative anyways._

After arriving at her destination, she paced back and forth a couple of times before finally gathering enough courage to knock on the door. She heard a bit of noise from the other side of the door before a voice called out. “Who is it?”

“It’s Akko. Can I speak to Diana for a second?” The door creaked open, making Akko squint when the light from the room seeped into the dark hallway. It was Hannah who opened the door. She was wearing a nightgown and had her hair down, which was a rare sight to see.

“Oh, hey Akko. You can come in if you’d like.”

The thought of asking Diana out in front of her two roommates sent her into a panic. “Ah-Actually, if it’s not too much trouble, do you think you could ask her to come out here?”

Hannah raised an eyebrow and eventually shrugged her shoulders before retreating back into the room to presumably tell Diana about the bizarre request. Akko was filled with relief when her target finally stepped out into the hall a few moments later. “Heyyy Diana! Sorry to disturb you when it's already so late.”

“Akko? What are you doing here?” The girl shut the door gently behind them, leaving only the faint light from the window to illuminate both of their faces. “You know it’s well past curfew.”

“Uhmmm… Nice weather tonight.”

Diana sighed. “If you don’t have anything important to say I’m going to go back to my-”

“No wait!” Akko almost shouted, but quickly simmered down after realizing that other students were probably asleep. “Are you doing anything tomorrow?”

The heiress thought for a moment before answering. “Besides going over some notes from class, I don’t think I’m doing anything in particular. Why?”

“Oh good! Do you like tea?”

“I’m British, of course I like tea,” she joked.

Akko laughed nervously. “Well there’s this really cool place in town that serves fancy tea and pastries. Have you been there?”

“No, I’m regretful to say that I haven’t had time to visit the town that much.”

"Ah." Things were going smoothly for her so far, but she still found it incredibly hard to form the next sentence. "Then do you maybe want to go there tomorrow...with me?” In the following milliseconds that it took for Diana to answer, Akko thought that her heart might burst open. She shut her eyes tight and waited for the inevitable rejection. But it never came.

She pried one of her eyes open and was surprised to see that the blonde’s eyes were sparkling in the dim light. “Yes! I would love to!” the girl answered excitedly.

She was almost too shocked to answer. “Really??!! Ok, so is tomorrow at 12 good for you?”

The heiress nodded. “Yes, it’s perfect.”

“Cool, so it’s a date then!”

_Wait… what did I just say?_ It took a moment for Akko to process the words that had just came out of her mouth before she turned into a floundering mess. “Oh my God! I’m sorry it just slipped out! I-I mean! What I meant was- Not a dat-”

“Yes, it’s a date.” Diana cut in with a reassuring smile before Akko had the opportunity to embarrass herself any further. “See you tomorrow,” she said with a faint smirk on her lips before retreating back into her room and closing the door. 

Akko stood dumbfounded in the dark for another few minutes before her brain finally registered that somehow, she had managed to land a date with Diana Cavendish. 

 

“Ah!” Lotte jumped off the bed. “Welcome back. How did it go?”

She was still in shock when she opened the door to her room. She couldn’t really believe that everything had gone so swimmingly. Never in a million years did she ever expect Diana to say ‘yes’ to a date. She blinked at Lotte a couple of times before registering that this sequence was not, in fact, a dream. “She said yes.”

The girl excitedly embraced her while bouncing up and down. “Akko that’s wonderful news! I knew it would work!” 

“She really said yes?” Sucy asked from her desk. “Huh. I didn’t think it would actually work.” 

“Huh?! Then why did you send me over there if you had no faith in me?!!”

“I thought it would be funny to see you get rejected by Diana,” Sucy said while giving her one of her pointy toothed grins. Akko stuck her tongue out at the girl even though she knew that her friend was just kidding. 

“So what exactly did you ask her?” Lotte pressed. 

“Uhh I just sorta asked her if she wanted to come with me to the tea place in town. And then before I left I accidentally called it a date.”

The girl adjusted her glasses in anticipation. “And how did she react to that?”

“It was weird, she was totally into the ‘date’ idea for some reason. I have no idea why though.”

“Maybe it’s because she actually likes you too?” Lotte asked hopefully.

Akko considered the possibility for a moment before passing it up as a wild hallucination. “Nahhhh there’s no way. Maybe she meant it as like… a friend date.” 

“...A friend date,” Sucy repeated monotonously.

“Yup.”

Lotte massaged the bridge of her nose in exasperation. “Akko. That’s- that’s literally not even a thing…”

 

\-------------------

 

Diana leaned her back against the now closed door and let out a long breath. Akko’s visit was certainly a welcome surprise, but what really stunned her was what the girl had asked her. _A date,_ she thought excitedly. _Akko actually asked me out on a date! I must be dreaming._

Her two roommates appeared from the other side of the bookshelf, confirming that this was all very real. “What did Akko want, Diana?” asked Barbara.

Although it was very tempting to reveal how she now felt about Akko to Hannah and Barbara, she decided it would be best to bite her tongue for now. Yes, she would have to tell them eventually if these feelings continued on for any longer, but now seemed too sudden to spring this news on them. She chose her words carefully. “She just asked me if I wanted to visit a tea shop in town with her tomorrow. That’s all.”

“And what did you say?” Barbara asked eagerly.

“I said yes. After all, I don’t get to see the town very often. I thought it would be a good opportunity.” 

Her two roommates gave each other a look. “Why? What’s the matter?” Diana asked.

Hannah shook her head. “Nothing! It’s just that you two have really been hitting it off lately.”

“Yes, I suppose we have.” She faked a yawn. “It’s getting late girls, we should all go to bed. Sleep well you two.” 

“Good night,” they said simultaneously while Diana returned back to her own side of the room, grateful to avoid any further conversation with the two about Akko. She climbed into bed and realized just how exhausted she had been as soon as her head hit the pillow. _Oh, tomorrow I was supposed to spend the day doing research about Salander’s Affliction… I guess one day off wouldn’t hurt. There’s only so much time I have left to spend with Akko, I better take what I can get. Besides, I’ve always wanted to try the tea in town._

 

“Sorry! Did I keep you waiting?” 

Diana turned her head to see Akko running towards her. It was exactly 12:05 and she did not, in fact, keep her waiting. She shook her head. “Not at all. I just got here too.”

“Oh thank god…” the brunette panted out while she rested her palms against her knees. It took her time to recover, but Diana waited patiently. She was actually very flattered that the girl had ran all the way from the dorms to the leyline just so she wouldn’t be late.

“Shall we go?” Diana asked while mounting her broom. 

“Yup!” Akko did the same and the two headed off into the leyline for about five minutes before arriving in Glastonbury. “The tea shop is actually in Blytonbury so we might have to walk a bit if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” she looked up at the sky. “It should be an enjoyable walk on such a nice day.”

Akko smiled, moved very close to Diana, and began walking. They talked for a while, with the conversation mostly consisting of her answering the curious girl’s questions. 

“Who is that a statue of?” 

“The mayor of this town when it was first founded.”

“Wow that building looks pretty old.”

“Yes it was built in 1695.”

The Japanese girl eyed her suspiciously. “I thought you said you didn’t go into town much, Diana. How come you know so much about it?”

“I never come to town to enjoy it, I've mostly only passed through it. I also happen to know a lot of its history. Sorry if I sound snobby.” She always knew when she was being prissy and prim in the past. She didn’t particularly like doing it, it just happened sometimes. A force of habit maybe. One day in the past, she had overheard Akko and Amanda bashing her about being such a snob all the time. It had hurt her feelings pretty badly at the time. They were all friends now so it would be weird if she brought it up, but the insecurity was always in the back of her head. 

“What?! You totally don’t sound snobby at all, you’re just super smart!! I love that side of you!” Akko grabbed her hand. “Don’t worry Diana, I’ll make sure you make the best of your time here in town.” Her eyes darted around. “Wait here! I’ll be right back.”

And with that, the girl ran across the street and disappeared behind the next corner. _Leave it to Akko to say just the right thing,_ she thought gratefully. Luckily, the girl had left her in a particularly nice part of the town. There was a small seating area and a cute little fountain with a statue of a woman pouring water out of a jar.

She only had a few minutes to take in the scenery before Akko returned with two ice cream cones in her hands. “Here you are madam,” she bowed and presented a single scoop of strawberry cheesecake ice cream on a sugar cone to her. 

“Oh Akko, you shouldn’t have!” she said while accepting the cone from her friend. “And you actually managed to get my favorite ice cream flavor too. How did you guess so well?”

“Magic,” the girl winked and laughed when Diana raised an eyebrow. “Nah just kidding. When I was stuck at your house for the weekend I asked Anna a bunch of random questions about how you were like when you were a kid.”

They began walking again. “And why did the topic of my favorite ice cream flavor come up?” She asked warily.

“Honestly I have no idea. It was a long weekend and I ran out of things to talk about with your family.”

Diana grimaced at the thought of Aunt Daryl or Anna spilling the tea about all of her embarrassing childhood moments to Akko, who she now considered as the girl that she undeniably liked as more than a friend. “Well, I hope you don’t know all my secrets now.”

“No not really,” Akko said before pausing. “You used to cry yourself to sleep when you didn’t get a bedtime story?”

_Oh I am most certainly going to fire Anna,_ she scowled. “Ermmm so what ice cream flavor did you get, Akko?” she asked, desperately trying to change the subject.

“Mint chocolate chip. My favorite. Well, actually my favorite flavor is plum, but they never have any of that in England,” she pouted.

_Plum, huh…_ Diana thought. _I’ll keep that in mind._ After about 15 minutes more of walking, the pair finally arrived in Blytonbury and the British girl had to admit that she was in the perfect mood for some tea. 

Akko’s eyes lit up at the sight of the ‘Welcome to Blytonbury’ sign. “Ooh! We’re almost there, it’s just down the block!” She took Diana’s wrist and pulled her along until they reached the entrance of the tea shop.

The exterior of the shop looked very welcoming, with an outside seating area and a quirky little blackboard that listed the specials of the day. Diana never really had the chance to come to places like this, so she was very excited to finally be able to. They walked inside and she was even more impressed with the homely yet fancy vibe it provided. Everything was made out of wood or bricks and there were vases of flowers on every table. 

“Where would you like to sit?” her friend asked, snapping her out of her admiration of the store’s interior design. 

“Here is fine,” she said while sitting down at a table for two near the back of the shop. Akko plopped down across from her while the waitress speedily showed up with their menus. 

Diana scanned the menu. “Wow, I’m impressed. They actually have a relatively wide selection. I’ve never even heard of some of these blends before.” 

“I know right!” Akko flipped through the menu some more and gasped. “They even have Japanese plum tea! Oh, I’m definitely getting that!”

“Hmmmm. I think I’ll stick with the usual Earl Grey. Are you ready to order?” Diana asked. The girl nodded and called over the waitress to order their long anticipated tea. Now came the awkward part. The start of the actual date. Well the important part of the date, anyways.

Although she didn’t want to admit it, Diana was nervous. She had precise control over almost every aspect in her life. She usually knew how to handle things so well because she had had previous experience with them. The only reason she was always so prepared for magical situations was because she’d practiced it hundreds of times beforehand. A date with Akko was certainly not in her range of well known experiences. There was no practice round for something like this. 

However she attempted to put her anxiousness aside because above all, she was so incredibly happy that the girl had asked her on a date in the first place. She straightened her posture and folded her hands in her lap. “So, what made you want to hang out with me today? I’m sure you would have very much liked to bring Lotte and Sucy here.”

Akko shook her head. “Yeah I guess, but I thought I would enjoy it a lot more if you came. We never really get to hang out outside of school that much so I thought it would be nice if we did something different for a change.” The girl looked away while her ears reddened. “Besides, I like spending time alone with you, Diana. It’s… nice.” She gave a shy smile.

The blonde bit her lip and tried to remain calm. “Thank you Akko. I like spending time with you too.” She was about to turn into a full on tomato. Thankfully, the waitress arrived with their tea to save them from their innocent embarrassment. 

“Oh man! I can’t remember the last time I had plum tea. Let’s see if it’s any good.” Seemingly forgetting about the awkward conversation they just had, Akko hastily picked up the hot teacup without even blowing on it and went in for a sip.

“Wait! Akko don’t it’s-”

As soon as the girl put her lips onto the cup, she jerked back, almost spilling her precious plum tea all over herself. “Owowowow.”

“-Hot…” Diana sighed. “We should probably wait a bit first.”

The girl held her tongue out of her mouth, clearly regretting her decision to swallow a cup of scalding hot tea. “Good idea, Diana. That’s why you’re top student.”

Diana just smiled and rolled her eyes in response. The two waited patiently for their tea to cool and once it did, they relished every sip. Akko had even offered some of the plum tea for her to try. Unsurprisingly, it tasted wonderful and the heiress internally reminded herself to buy some of the same blend in the future.

For dessert, they decided to split a Bakelse Prinsess. Akko had wanted to try it so badly after Lotte had told her about it, and Diana was certainly not one to rain on the adorable girl’s parade. 

“You made the right choice Akko, this Princess Cake tastes excellent”

The Japanese witch shoved another bite into her mouth. “I know! I almost regret not ordering two.”

“You can still order another one for yourself. We have time.”

“Nah that’s all right. I don’t really know how to explain it, but sharing it with another person somehow makes it taste better.” She grinned. “Plus I don’t want to get fat.”

Diana smirked. “Really now? That’s never stopped you before from stealing from the kitchen.”

“Hey! To be fair, they never used to feed us enough. I would have died of starvation if I didn’t steal,” she insisted dramatically. “Did I tell you about this one time when Professor Badcock thought I was so hungry that I was desperate enough to steal corn from the bird feed?”

“Do tell.”

 

The pair spent the rest of the day getting carried away in conversation and walking around the scenic routes in town. Diana had already expected it to be a good day, but her expectations were more than achieved, mostly thanks to Akko. The girl had been so sweet and understanding towards her the whole day. When she talked, the brunette listened earnestly and seemed to genuinely care about what she was saying. She had constantly asked if Diana was okay or if she would like to sit down and rest somewhere. This was a whole other side of Akko that made the heiress admire her even more, if that were possible.

It was sunset by the time they returned back to the leyline at Luna Nova. She was sort of reluctant to let the day end so soon and she could tell that her friend was feeling the same way. They had fun. In fact, it was the most fun that she had had in a while.

They had just reached the school’s entrance when Akko spoke up. “Thank you again for coming Diana, Today was super fun!”

“Well thank you for inviting me Akko. I enjoyed myself as well.” She sucked in a breath and gathered all of her courage to form her next sentence. “I hope this isn’t a one time thing?”

“Not on my watch! I just have to figure out where to take you next.” She winked. “Don’t worry, you’ll be seeing quite a lot of me from now on. If you want to that is…”

Diana smiled before remembering her current situation. If she didn’t do something about her illness fast, her time would soon run out. She hoped Akko couldn’t hear the pain in her voice. “Yes, I would love that.” They reached the point in the school hallway where their paths split. “Well, I suppose I’ll see you Monday in class?”

“Yup!~ See you soon, Diana.” Akko turned to leave and at the sight, Diana found herself desperately wanting to reach out and touch the girl. Just to see what would happen. But she didn’t. Instead, she simply returned to her dorm room and slipped into the bathroom after saying hello to Hannah and Barbara and promising to give them details about her day later.

She turned the faucet on to let the tub fill and absentmindedly stirred the warm water as she reflected. _I can’t waste anymore time. I need to find that cure, but I have no idea where to even start… If I even want a chance at a proper life I have to try harder,_ she reprimanded herself. _I can’t let it end like this. What would happen to the Cavendish name? Everything I had ever worked for in my life had all been for the sake of my family. I can’t just leave all my work unfinished. And what about Akko? If things go wrong for me… she’ll be heartbroken. She already suspects something is wrong, I can tell._

She turned off the water and sunk into the relaxing bath. _I refuse to let my family name have its downfall. I’ll just try harder. I’ll beat this thing. I always win. I am Diana Cavendish, after all._


	9. Chapter 9

_Oh dear God, please don’t let me break this poor girl’s window,_ Akko thought to herself as she tried for the hundredth time that night to pull her broom up neatly beside the wall. It was harder than it actually looked, at least it was for a witch that had just learned how to fly. It was taking her tremendous concentration just to slow down before smacking straight into the wall. It's a good thing she was only practicing now. 

It had been exactly two weeks since her wonderful date with the British witch, and Akko could say with confidence that their relationship had only kept on blossoming since then. Ever since that day, the two girls had begun to share more intimate moments with each other. 

Even so, she was still dying for another date with the girl. So for tonight, her plan was to show up at Diana’s window and charmingly whisk her away to a secret, special place for a night picnic. She was sure the heiress would love it.

After a few more minutes of practicing her broom parking skills, Akko finally felt ready enough to go through with the real deal. She picked up her carefully packed picnic basket and slid it onto the neck of her broom before taking flight. She took it slow because obviously, she was still nervous about the whole thing. At this point, she was way past being embarrassed in front of Diana; the witch never made her feel bad about anything ever. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t still afraid of being rejected. Honestly, she had no idea how she had even gotten this far with all of the self doubt that she had been feeling lately.

When she finally reached what she assumed to be the window to the blue team’s room, she didn’t dare come too close in fear of smashing it open with one wrong move. She was just going to try to give a tiny knock on the window that would be loud enough to let Diana know that she was outside. _It’s not that late,_ Akko reasoned. _Hopefully she’s still awake._

She leaned in as close as she possibly could and peered into the large, wall-sized window and was happy to see the familiar faint light from a lamp on the girl’s desk. _Oh good, her light is on! That must mean she’s still up._

She shifted angles slightly and was able to catch a glimpse of the girl sitting at her desk. Akko could have watched her all night. She loved the concentrated expression Diana always wore when she immersed herself in her studies. It was like nothing else mattered to the girl in that moment besides whatever magic spell she was busy reading about. 

However, this time Akko could tell something was a little different about her friend’s usual studious expression. The girl’s eyes were searching frantically across the papers that she had laid out on her desk. _Diana's face looks kinda… desperate?_ She leaned in more to get a closer look at whatever her friend was reading. There were a bunch of books and papers piled on top of and around her desk, which was unusual to see in her usually neat room.

_What could she possibly be reading about? I don’t think we have any important tests coming up anytime soon._ She squinted her eyes in hopes of catching a word or two that she could recognize among one of the pages, but to no avail. It was really bugging her that Diana looked so panicked as she flipped through the pages of her book. Something about the normally calm girl just felt off at the moment.

Akko attempted to shift the broom just a tiny bit closer to the window to get a better look, but of course being her, she lost control for a split second and completely slammed into the window. With the amount of ridiculous force that she hit the glass with, she was surprised that the damn thing didn’t shatter right then and there.

Naturally, Diana flinched at the thundering noise and looked up from her books. _Ooooops… Well at least she noticed._ Akko gave the girl an embarrassed wave from the other side of the frame and gestured for her to open the window.

The blonde appeared to be slightly dazed at first, but quickly regained her composure and unlatched the window, where she stood with her arms crossed. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Akko gulped. “Ahaha, sorry about that Diana. Didn’t mean to hit the window like that…” The girl gave her an amused smirk, urging her to elaborate further. “Whatcha reading?” she asked while trying to look over the girl’s shoulder for another peek at the pile of mysterious books.

“I-it’s nothing. Just catching up on some material for class,” Diana hurriedly responded while walking back to her desk to close the book that she had been examining. 

If Akko wasn’t suspicious before, she definitely was now. “But those books don’t look like they’re for any of the classes that we’re taking.”

“Trust me Akko, they are,” the girl replied a little defensively. 

_Yikes,_ she recoiled. _Okayyy, guess I shouldn’t pry anymore, but she has been kinda distracted lately. I really wanna ask her about it, but I also don’t wanna be too nosey…_

“Not that I’m not happy to see you," Diana continued. "But is there a reason why you flew up to my window at 11pm?” she asked, snapping Akko out of her concerned thoughts.

“Oh yeah, almost forgot!” She eagerly navigated her broom through the window and landed in the room without dealing any further damage. “How would you like to go on a picnic with me!”

The girl looked at her like she was crazy. “Right now?”

“Yes now! It’s a totally different experience at night." 

“I don’t know…” Diana glanced back at her stack of books. “I really have to concentrate on this research.”

Akko desperately wanted to ask her what the research was about and why it was so urgent, but she held her tongue. “Pleeeease, I promise it’ll be really fun! There’s this really cool place I have to show you. Plus Jasminka was the one who made all the food so you know for sure that at least that part will be good.”

The girl looked troubled, but she eventually let out a relenting sigh. “Very well, give me a minute to change into something more appropriate.”

“Sure! Take your time,” Akko replied, even though she wouldn’t have minded at all if Diana were to wear her pajamas all night. “Oh yeah, and don’t bring your broom.”

“What? Why?” 

“Because you’ve already carried me a bunch of times on your broom and tonight I’d like to return the favor.”

“Ha...” Diana chuckled. “That’s sweet of you, but you better not crash.”

She gave her a mock salute. “No worries captain, I have precious cargo on board!” 

 

 

“Can I open my eyes yet, Akko?”

“Not yet. Shouldn’t be long now though,” she replied. 

Diana laughed. “I don’t see why I have to have them closed in the first place. Didn’t you say we were going somewhere close to the academy? I’m pretty sure I’ve seen every inch of this place already. I doubt I’d be properly surprised.”

“Hmmmm,” Akko mumbled while taking a glance back at her friend to make sure she still had her eyes shut. “Yeah there's a chance that you’ve probably been to this place before, but I guarantee you that you haven’t seen it like this.” She turned back around and scanned for familiar landmarks until she finally spotted the broken down wall on the top of a small hill. “Oooh! We’re here!”

She slowed down for a landing and was pleased when she didn’t crash into the ground this time. Diana got off first, with her eyes still shut tight, followed by Akko and the picnic basket. 

“Now?” 

“One second.” She scrambled to spread the blanket out onto the cool grass. “Ok, now.”

She watched as Diana opened her eyes only to have them filled with the dazzling sight of the millions of shining stars in the clear black sky. She was certain that the girl was impressed; it would be impossible to not be. The view was nice during the day, but at night it was absolutely stunning. The universe seemed endless with all the silver glows of every individual star. Akko was happy that she finally got to show someone else one of her favorite places in the entire world.

The cool night breeze picked up and gently blew back their hair. “Akko… this is just…” The girl was clearly at a loss for words. “How did you even find this place?”

“The Fountain of Polaris did, actually. When it showed me some of Chariot’s past.” She grinned at the recollection of Chariot’s smiling face as she proudly showed off the new magic tricks that she had just learned to Croix. The two young witches had made so many happy memories at this academy in the past and it made Akko both happy and sad to think about where those two were now. “This was her special place to come and practice her magic with Professor Croix,” she explained quietly. 

Diana’s face shifted into a solemn expression. “They were so close. It’s sad how issues with magic and adulthood made them grow apart like that.” She sat down on the picnic blanket. “You could tell just how much they hurt each other in the past, even if they didn’t mean to.”

Akko plopped down next to her. “Yeah… but at least they cleared up any misunderstandings they had. It’s nice to see Professor Ursula open up more now that her and Croix are close again.” She shook her head as she recalled a couple of months ago when she had gone with Professor Ursula to visit Croix in the correctional facility and had accidentally walked in on the two getting as intimate as they possibly could have with their clothes still on. “Maybe a little too close…”

The heiress laughed. “Yes, I’ve heard that they were being very friendly with each other. It was the talk of the school for a while. Wangari even wrote an article about it a few months back.” 

They sat for a while in silence before the blonde spoke up again, changing the heavy topic in the process. “How come the stars seem so bright? They certainly don’t look anything like this near the academy.” 

Akko shrugged and focused her gaze on a particularly bright cluster of stars. “I guess this place just happens to be the perfect distance from both the academy and the town so that their lights don’t disturb the natural brightness that the stars give off.”

Diana nodded. “The stars...They all feel so close. Almost like I can reach out and touch them.” She said the next part in a soft voice. “It almost feels like that one time...”

Akko knew exactly what her friend was talking about. When the two had just defeated the magic hate missile, the Shooting Star broom had taken them all the way up into space. The whole world was engulfed in the green light of the Grand Triskelion’s power right before the Shiny Rod took its’ rightful place back in the stars. She had never experienced anything like that before and she probably never would again.

Thinking back at it now, the greatest moment of her life had actually been shared with Diana. It had always been Diana. Even when she had first arrived at Luna Nova, Akko couldn’t seem to get the British girl out of her head. At the time, she had thought that it was just a simple rivalry, but maybe it had just been an excuse to think about her all the time. 

“Which bundle of stars do you think the Shiny Rod disappeared into?” she asked thoughtfully.

“Who knows,” replied Diana. 

The girl had a distant look in her eyes that Akko couldn’t quite place. Wanting to lighten the mood, she plucked the stuffed picnic basket from the grass and placed it onto the blanket between them. “Anyways, all this stargazing is making me hungry. Let’s eat!” 

Diana raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t we just eat dinner together a few hours ago? How could you possibly be hungry again?”

“You should know by now that I’m always hungry.” She rummaged in the basket for an egg salad sandwich and took a large bite. “And I recommend you start eating right now before I finish all of it!”

“Hey! You know egg salad is my favorite, Akko! There better be another one in there or else you’re really going to be in trouble.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Diana breaking curfew to go on a picnic date with her crush? Hell yes.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chariot finally makes an appearance!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so here are some points:  
> Ursula’s hair is now permanently red  
> All the students still call her Professor Ursula, like always  
> Croix is the only one that still calls her Chariot

“Metamorphie Faciesse!” Akko shouted while pointing her wand at the caged rodent for the thousandth time that day. She shut her eyes as the swirls of magic encircled her instead of the intended mouse target and transformed her into a whole ass gorilla. “Oh come on! Again?!”

Applause came from the other side of the room. “Good work, Akko! But next time try to focus on exactly what type of spell you’re trying to cast,” Professor Ursula suggested cheerily.

The girl reverted back into human form and let out a big sigh. “You don’t have to lie, that wasn’t good work at all! I still can’t change the stupid mouse into anything.”

“But at least you transformed yourself. And your animal transformations are definitely improving. This was the best gorilla I’ve seen you as yet!” 

Akko rolled her eyes, but it was hard to be discouraged for too long in the presence of Ursula. After all, she _was_ technically Shiny Chariot, one of the most uplifting magicians in history. She never would have expected the woman to be the type of person that she was now, but that wasn’t exactly a bad thing. As an idol, Chariot was someone that she could strive to be. As a professor, Ursula was not only kind in every way imaginable, but she also encouraged Akko to be herself. It was fair to say that in these past two years, the professor had grown to become someone who was extremely important to her. After all, it wasn’t everyday that someone was willing to risk everything they had to protect her, and the woman had done so more than a few times. 

“Let’s end here for today,” Professor Ursula said while offering her a water bottle with a smile. “We can work on your metamorphosis magic another day.”

Akko nodded and gratefully accepted the water because while she was eager to master metamorphosis magic, she was also completely exhausted. Who knows how many animals she had unintentionally transformed into today. “Do you really think I’m getting better?”

The woman clasped her hands together. “Absolutely! So much better than last week. At this rate you’ll get the spell right in about a year,” she joked.

“Ughhh. Don’t jinx it,” the girl replied while letting out a sigh. She had a lot on her mind lately. Brushing up on her studies, practicing her flying, and learning new magic didn’t exactly help relax her either.

“Something on your mind, Akko? You seemed kind of distracted during our last few sessions,” Ursula asked with motherly concern in her voice.

_Is she a mind reader or something?_ The girl shuddered. She had to admit though, her professor was spot on as usual. “Uhmmm can I ask you a personal question, professor?”

“W-well… it depends on what it’s about.”

“It’s about-” Akko swallowed hard. “It’s about what to do if I like someone, but I don’t know if that someone likes me back.”

"Oh." The woman’s face turned almost as red as her hair. “I see. Ermmmm, I don’t really think I qualify to answer that type of question.”

“Huh? Why not? Aren’t you and Croix in lov-”

“What?!!” Ursula jumped out of her chair and slapped Akko’s mouth shut with her palm. “Who told you that?!”

She pried the woman’s hand off of her mouth. “Isn’t it kind of obvious? I mean, practically everyone can tell.” It's not that she was being particularly nosey about the subject, it's just that anyone in Luna Nova who cared enough was able to easily get the message that Croix and Ursula were pretty much crazy for each other. Not to mention that one time when Akko had accidentally walked in on the two of them being ‘more than friendly’ with each other. “Oh c’mon professorrrrr. You gotta give me some advice! I know you have some!”

“Errrrr, I don’t think I should be talking about this kind of stuff with a student,” the astrology professor said while averting her eyes. 

“Need I remind you that SOMEBODY took away my magic when I was just a poor, helpless child and-”

“Okay, okay! I get it!” Ursula sighed and rolled her eyes at Akko’s playful grin. “So what do you want to ask?”

“Wellll." The girl rubbed her chin. "When did you and Croix start liking each other?”

“...Why do you need to know that?”

“For reference!”

Ursula let out a huff. “Well… I guess we've always sort of liked each other. We met during my freshman year at the academy and everything just took off from there. Everyone told me that Croix was stuck up and that she didn’t really have any friends so I shouldn’t even bother with her.” The woman smiled at the memories and tucked a piece of red hair behind her ear. “I’m glad I didn’t listen to them. I owe Croix for giving me some of the most wonderful memories that I’ve made throughout my life. At some point during our years here, we just realized that our friendship was quickly turning into something else.”

“So you guys started dating in high school?” 

She shook her head sadly. “I would have liked to, but there were so many other things going on and… we both had our separate paths in magic that we so dearly wanted to follow. Before we knew it, everything got out of hand and I started to get more and more attention in the magic world while Croix was left behind. Eventually, there I was, achieving all my dreams and taking everything away from the girl… the girl that I loved… All of the bad things that happened to Croix, everything that drove her to do all those things, it was all my fault.”

“That’s not true Professor Ursula!” Akko rose her voice. “You were just doing what you loved and there’s nothing wrong with that!” Every time she learned something new about her idol, she also learned about all the pain and the sacrifices that the woman had to make in order to become the person that everyone looked up to. It made her realize how human Ursula actually was. “But...do you regret focusing on just your magic instead of your relationship with Croix?”

“I’m not sure,” the woman replied. “I guess I’ll never really know. But I do know that I’m very happy with our situation right now. It’s not perfect, but it is healthier than it was before.”

“But you guys had to wait like- 12 years to finally be together.”

“Well when you put it that way…” The woman adjusted her glasses and suddenly perked up. “Hold on, what’s the sudden rush to want to know about these kinds of things, Akko? Is there something you want to tell me about? Or more specifically, _someone_ you want to tell me about?”

Now it was Akko’s turn to feel embarrassed. “Errr welllll.”

“Oh wait! Let me guess who it is!” Ursula announced excitedly. She gave a sly grin before her answer. “It’s Diana isn’t it?”

“Wha?!” Akko screeched. “How does everyone know?! I’m not that obvious am I?”

The woman laughed. “You are a little bit, yes.”

“Seriously?!”

“I wouldn’t worry about it though,” she reassured. “You two seem to be getting along very nicely this year. I certainly wouldn’t have expected Diana to allow anyone to get so involved in her personal life.”

“I guess…” The girl pouted. “But I still don’t really know what to do.”

“About what?”

“About this whole thing!” Akko replied frustratedly. Was what she felt about Diana even love? She had never fallen in love with anyone before, so she had no idea what it felt like. But the way she felt about the heiress fit everything on the checklist. Was it even alright to feel this way about another girl? She swallowed before continuing. “I mean… this isn’t normal right? The feelings I have for her. I don’t think she would ever think the same about me. It’s just not possible.”

Ursula raised an eyebrow. “And why not?”

“First off, we’re both girls. And second, she’s _the_ Diana Cavendish!”

The professor sighed and took a seat at one of the desks in the classroom. “Well I’m not sure if she feels the same way about you, but I do know that if you like someone so much that it hurts, you might as well tell them how you feel.” She swiveled around in the chair and pointed at Akko stubbornly. “And if you don’t think there’s anything wrong with me and Croix liking each other, then there shouldn’t be anything wrong with you liking Diana!”

Akko groaned. “So what do you think I should do? We hang out all the time and it’s getting harder and harder for me not to tell her that I think of her as more than a friend.” 

“Hmmmm. Have you given her any hints that you like her?”

“Other than acting like a complete lovesick idiot in front of her all the time?” The girl thought for a minute. “Oh! Does going on dates count?”

“Like, an actual date?”

Akko nodded. “Yeah, like I asked her to hang out with me outside of school and I accidentally called it a date and she still agreed to it!”

Ursula stifled a laugh. “She agreed to go on a date with you?”

“Yup!”

The woman let out an exasperated sigh. “To be young and in love is to be blind.”

“Huh? What does that mean?”

Ursula smiled and shook her head. “Akko, you should probably just confess your feelings to her. Judging from how close you two seem to be and based on what you told me just now, I’m sure the results would be fairly positive. I mean, there’s only one reason why someone would agree to go on a date with you and I don’t think she did it just to be polite. The outcome seems pretty clear to me.”

The Japanese witch was too shocked to believe anything her teacher had just said. “Wha-what? How can you be so sure.”

“Because I’m Luna Nova’s astrology teacher and your horoscopes tell me that there is a high success rate of love in your future,” Ursula stated while rolling her eyes. “In fact, I was thinking of inviting you to come and visit Croix with me at the end of this week. You should invite Diana to come too. It’s a perfect opportunity for you to ‘pop the question’,” she winked.

Akko blushed and stammered. “I-I guess I can invite her… since you insisted.”

The woman smiled and nodded. “Wonderful! I’ll be wishing my best of luck to you! Croix and I will try to give you two some privacy.”

“Ursula sensei!”

 

_Hmmmmm, where would Diana be on a Tuesday afternoon? I checked her room already and she wasn’t there. Guess I’ll try the library next._ Akko quickened her pace as she walked through the halls of the school building. _Okay, don’t freak out. All I have to do is ask her if she wants to come with me to visit Professor Croix. No biggie. The hard part comes on Friday when I actually ask her to…_

Just the thought of herself fumbling over her own words as she poured her heart out to the British girl made Akko sick to her stomach. Every new plan that she came up with to ask Diana out ended up branching into hundreds of different thoughts on how it could go horribly wrong. She was usually never nervous about anything. Pretty much every decision she’d ever made in her life had been impulsive. Thinking things through was definitely not her strong point. 

“Ugh I give up,” she muttered to herself. “I have a whole week to think about what I should say to her when the time comes. There’s no point in worrying about it now.”

“Talking to ourselves now, are we?”

She spun around to see who had interrupted her mid-panic. “Andrew?! What are you doing here?” She was completely surprised to see the out of place boy standing in the empty hallway.

He smiled and walked over to her. “My father has become very interested in Luna Nova and the magic industry ever since I had a conversation with him about it. Today I’m accompanying him while he’s on business here with your Headmistress.” 

“Wow, that’s really good news!” Akko exclaimed genuinely. “I’m glad to see you, Andrew! I think the last time we saw each other was at… Diana’s party?”

“Ah yes. That was quite an interesting night.” He chuckled to himself. “Diana was certainly full of surprises that day.”

She raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean by that?”

“Well, besides her sudden brush with illness, do you recall how she was acting a little rude to me at the beginning of the night and how she suddenly dragged me out to the middle of nowhere just so she could give me a stern talking to?” 

“Now that you mention it, she was a little snippy to you at the party.” Akko laughed when she remembered Diana’s eyes burning a hole through Andrew’s skull that night. She never was able to learn the reason for the girl’s irritation, however. Maybe Andrew would be able to clear that up for her now. “What’d you guys talk about anyways?”

The boy shoved his hands in his pockets. “She was angry at me for talking to you so freely. I guess I sort of understand where she was coming from now, but it was incredibly amusing to me at the time. It’s rare to see Diana get so worked up about something like this. She was being so ridiculous that I just _had_ to enjoy myself.”

“What? Why would she be angry at you for talking to me?” Akko asked, confused. It felt like she was missing something very important.

Andrew blinked. “You mean she hasn’t told you yet?”

“Told me what?” Her heart started to pound.

“That’s odd,” the boy rubbed his chin. “I was sure Diana would have let you know by now. I've never known her to be particularly shy about something she cares about.”

“Told me what?” she repeated, beginning to get impatient.

“That she likes you.” 

The color drained out of Akko’s face at her friend’s statement. “...Wh-What did you just say?”

Andrew’s jaw dropped slightly. “Seriously, you didn’t know? I thought it was rather obvious. I’ve never seen Diana pay attention to another human being as much as she does to you. I honestly thought that she would have already professed her undying love to you by now,” he laughed. 

_Did I just hear him right?_ she thought. _There’s no way he’s telling the truth._ After thinking about it however, everything began falling into place. The way Diana acted, the things she said, everything that she did began to make sense. Once Akko took a step back and looked at their relationship from a new perspective, it _was_ obvious that they both liked each other very much. 

Still though, just hearing those words together in a sentence made her feel like time had stopped and the whole world was spinning in another direction. “Andrew, please tell me you’re not joking…”

He scrunched up his nose. “Even I wouldn’t joke about something like this. I promise, that girl is totally crazy about you.”

A wide grin slowly crept up her face. “I-I’m gonna go find Diana now. I was just in the middle of looking for her, actually.”

Andrew laughed. “My, you witches are entertaining in more ways than one,” he said while turning to walk away. “Good luck you two.” 

Akko immediately turned and sprinted towards the direction of the library. Her smile only seemed to grow bigger and bigger as she ran on and her heart felt like it was going to burst out of her chest.

“Oh and Akko,” Andrew called back and waited for her to turn around before he started again. “A rather obvious question, but you like her too right?”

Before, the answer to this question would have been long and complicated for Akko, but now the words were able to effortlessly flow out of her mouth. “More than anyone could imagine.”

“I’m glad,” the boy said while giving a weak smile. “Please treat her well. I don’t know how much you’re aware of Diana’s past, but I can assure you it hasn’t been a very happy one. She deserves some pleasant memories for once.”

Akko gave him a stern nod. “Of course! I plan to do my very best!” Her face turned into a puzzled expression. “But how come you care so much about that? I thought you guys hated each other.”

He gave her a long stare of disbelief. “You mean Diana hasn’t told you that either?”

_Boy I sure am finding out a lot about Diana today aren’t I?_ She held her breath and braced herself for the incoming news. “What is it this time?”

Andrew’s mouth turned into a humorous smile as he said the words almost mockingly. “Me and Diana were engaged once, you know?”

“........YOU TWO WERE WHAT?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol. Now isn’t that something ^-^ plot twist?? Amiright??
> 
> Also that part where Ursula says “if you like someone so much that it hurts, you might as well tell them how you feel” is actually something that Akko says to someone else in the Chamber of Time game. I really wanted to add that in somewhere in this story so I DiD!!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m uploading two chapters at once bc I don’t like cliffhangers and last chapter was definitely quite the cliff hanger haha.

Akko practically broke down the doors to the library as she entered the room and shot past the now complaining librarian. “Diana!!!!!” She barreled through the maze of bookshelves and tables, slamming into multiple pieces of furniture on her way. “Dianaaaa!!! Are you in here?!! Diana??!”

A hand pulled her behind one of the bookshelves and away from the staring students that she had caused a scene in front of. “Akko, what on _earth_ are you doing?!” the voice hissed.

“Oh Diana, I finally found you!” 

The blonde witch stared at her menacingly and didn’t at all look happy to see her. In fact, she looked just about as angry as she had looked to Akko when they were both first years and not at all friends. “How could you possibly think it was okay to make such obnoxiously loud noises in the library of all places?!” Diana reprimanded. 

_Uh-oh… her eyebrow just twitched. That means she’s actually mad._ Akko chuckled nervously. “Ahaha. Sorry about that, I just really needed to ask you a question.”

The girl’s poisonous gaze didn’t let up at all. “You better have a good reason for whatever you just did.”

Under normal circumstances she would have been quaking from having to experience the wrath of ‘angry Diana’ once again. However, it was a little difficult to think of her in that way at the moment. All she could currently think about was what Andrew had just revealed to her: that their feelings for each other were mutual. 

“Well?” the girl asked, snapping Akko out of her trance.

“Oh. Uh-” Her mind drew a blank. “You look really pretty today Diana,” she impulsively blurted out and saw the clear effect it had on her friend when the British girl’s cheeks flushed a bright red. _Woahh… I guess Andrew wasn’t lying._

“Would- would you please get on with it already? I was in the middle of doing something important,” Diana managed to stammer out.

Akko hit her fist against her palm. “Oh yeah!” She struggled with the next sentence. “Uhmmm… Is it true that you and Andrew... were engaged before?”

The girl flinched at the question. “Did Andrew tell you?” she asked quietly. 

Akko nodded dejectedly, not entirely wanting to hear the answer. 

The blonde sighed and turned her head to the side. “Yes. We were engaged in the past. Our parents had it previously arranged before we were even born. It was just as a precaution in case either of us didn’t find an appropriate spouse by the time we were adults.”

“People still have arranged marriages in this day and age?”

“Not frequently, no. But Andrew and I are both from very important families that can’t risk the chance of having no heirs.” The brunette looked like she was about to cry and seeing this, Diana softened her eyes. “Relax, the engagement was only in name. It never meant anything. I broke it off a few years ago anyways.”

Akko looked down. “Still though…” She didn’t want to say it, but she definitely felt a little sad knowing that Diana had been engaged in the past. Yes, she was a bit jealous of Andrew, but she was mostly just depressed after realizing that eventually, the girl would have to continue the Cavendish bloodline one way or another. No matter how oblivious Akko was, even she was able to work out what had to be done in order for that to happen. Two girls marrying = no legitimate heirs.

Diana reached for her hands and held them gently. “Andrew and I have nothing like that between us, I promise. So don’t make that face, please?” 

The girl gave a small smile and it was impossible for Akko not to smile back at the rare display of affection from her. “Are you sure? Because you and Andrew have some reallyyyy great chemistry together,” she said sarcastically.

The girl rolled her eyes. “Is that seriously the reason you decided to disrespect the rules of the library by running around like that? You really are unbelievable sometimes,” she said while pinching Akko’s cheek.

“Hahaha, just a little bit.” The contact between their skin made her face burn with embarrassment. “Hold on,” she looked around at the books on the shelves. “This is the medical section of the library right? What are you doing here? I thought you didn’t have any pharmaceutical classes this semester.”

“Nothing! Just- just doing some reading for future reference,” Diana replied quickly. “Nothing wrong with getting a little ahead.”

_There’s that suspicious look again._ “I dunno Diana, you’ve been doing a lot of ‘nothing’ with books lately and they look pretty important to me. If there’s something going on, you can tell me ya know. I won’t-”

“Akko,” she said sternly. “That’s enough.”

She winced at the normally kind heiress’ stinging words. Even as freshmen, she had never heard Diana use such an icy tone directed at her before. The unsettling feeling must have shown up on Akko’s face because the girl immediately seemed like she regretted her harshness.

“I’m sorry…” she said. “It’s just…” she trailed off, unable to finish her sentence.

“Hey, it’s okay Diana.” Akko took the girl’s hands in hers. “Everybody has something they’d rather keep private. It’s my fault for pushing the issue,” she rubbed her thumbs in a slow circular motion on the back of Diana’s hands in hopes of reassuring the girl. “You can tell me when you’re ready.”

A shy smile spread across the blonde’s face. “Thank you.”

_Woow,_ Akko thought happily. _I guess she really does like me! Look at how red she’s turning haha._ She grinned with confidence. “Are you doing anything right now?”

Diana looked back towards the bookshelves. “Well, I was just about to check out some of these books and read through them in my room.”

“Ok! I’ll wait outside in the hall while you choose.” She extended her hand towards her friend and curtseyed. “And then I shall escort you back to your living quarters, m’lady.” 

“Pfff,” she laughed. “What kind of impression is that supposed to be?” She walked back to a different section library and started browsing the shelves more intently as if completely forgetting that her friend was even there in the first place. “I’ll just be minute. You can come get me if I take too long.”

“Nah just take your time,” Akko replied. To be honest, she would have liked to spend the rest of the afternoon with her, but she figured that it was probably best to leave the girl alone for today. Diana was clearly dealing with something urgent, otherwise she never would have snapped at her like that in the first place. It was a little sad to think that the girl didn’t want to ask for help, but Akko knew better than to push her friend into confessing something that she wasn’t ready to say yet. Whatever it was, she knew it couldn’t possibly be good. She didn’t want to think of the worst, but a feeling of dread had been hanging over her for a while now.

After about 15 minutes, the girl reappeared from the library, balancing a large stack of heavy textbooks. She rushed over to the blonde's side, plucking about half of the books off the top of the massive pile. “Here Diana, let me help you with that!” 

“Oh! Thank you Akko,” she breathed out. “I’m glad you’re here, otherwise I would have had to make two trips.”

“Is that the only reason you’re glad I’m here?” Akko smirked. She was now intent on fully flirting with the blonde witch.

“I’m sure you know by now that’s not true,” she said while rolling her eyes and beginning to walk down the hallway, leaving Akko to digest her backfired attempt at flirting.

_Damn it,_ she thought. _I forgot that Diana can actually be kind of intimidating._ Her heart was still racing as she caught up with her friend. _I guess I’ll just have to up my game._ Unfortunately for Akko however, her mind was drawing a blank and the pair ended up walking in silence for a while. 

_Ahhhh!! What the heck?! Why am I getting nervous now? At this rate, we’ll reach her room without saying anything else to each other. Think Akko, think!_ “Sooo you been working out lately?” she blurted out. _Wait… what did I just say?_

Visibly dumbfounded, Diana stopped in her tracks. “...Pardon me?”

“Errrr, what I meant was- uhm well,”

“Is there something the matter Akko? You’ve been especially erratic today.” She looked away hesitantly. “...Did I do something wrong?” the girl asked.

“No! Definitely not! I just-” Akko sighed. “I’m sorry. It’s just that everyone’s been telling me stuff about you lately and-” She cut herself off and started again when she realized how creepy that sounded. “Nothing bad! It’s just that there’s a lot of things that I didn’t know about you Diana.” She looked embarrassingly to the side. “And there’s things that I still want to know about you…but I would prefer it if you were the one to tell me.”

The blonde gave her a solemn look. “Is this about what Andrew said to you?”

“Not just him. Sucy, Lotte, and even Professor Ursula pointed out how nice you are to me even though you don’t have to be. I absolutely don’t have a problem with that but, I’m just really self-conscious about how I should act around you now.” Akko scratched her head. “Haha, sorry if that sounds really weird.”

“No, of course not, Akko.” Diana sighed. “And I’m not sure what Andrew or anyone else has told you, but I promise I’m the same person that I always have been. That doesn’t change you and it doesn’t change me, so just talk to me like you normally would. I like it best that way anyhow,” she smiled gently.

As usual the girl was right. According to Andrew, if the heiress really did like her, then she liked all the parts about her. All the leisurely conversations, all the awkward moments, every single little thing. “You’re right,” Akko returned the smile. “Guess I was just nervous.”

“Nervous?” Diana frowned. “Nervous for what?” 

She gulped and mentally prepared herself. “Well, Profesor Ursula just asked me to come with her to visit Croix on Friday annnd I was wondering if you’d like to come with us as well? It’ll be really fun, I promise! Believe it or not the correctional facility actually has some pretty cool spots. They have a really pretty garden and- Oh! They have a huge library so I’m sure you’ll at least like that part and-”

“Akko, relax. Of course I’ll come.” The girl shook her head and began walking again. “That’s what you were nervous about?”

She followed beside her. “Uhmmm, yes!! What if you’d had said no?”

“Well I didn’t,” the blonde sighed. “I can’t believe you Miss Kagari, getting so worked up over something this. It’s not like this is the first time you’ve asked me to accompany you somewhere.”

_Well you would get worked up too if you were planning on asking the girl of your dreams out that day._ “Yeahhh, but I always feel nervous when I’m around you Diana.” She smiled bashfully. “The good kind of nervous.”

Diana’s lips curled into another smile. She’d been smiling a lot lately. “I hope you realize that you make me feel that way too, Akko.”

A warm feeling rose up throughout her body. The British girl was the only person who’s ever made her feel this way and hopefully she was going to be the last. Akko wanted to say something in return, but the words got caught in her throat. “Ah- it looks like we’ve arrived at your room already.”

“Huh?” The girl seemed surprised when she noticed her surroundings. “Oh, you’re right. I didn’t even realize. Thank you so much for the help Akko! You can just leave the books on the floor right there, I’ll move them inside myself.”

“Okey doke,” Akko said while plopping the weighty stack she had been carrying onto the ground. She watched as Diana did the same before taking out her room key and unlocking the door. “Ok wellll, I guess I’ll leave you to your studying now. See you at dinner,” she said while turning to leave.

“Wait!”

Akko swiveled back around. “Hmm?”

Her friend had her hands balled up into little fists on her sides. “Have I- have I been acting… weird lately?”

_Uh-oh. This is dangerous territory._ Akko gave her an anxious expression. “You want me to be honest?” Diana nodded her head slowly and Akko sucked in a breath before continuing. “Yes you kind of have been. At first I thought I was just imagining things but… ever since you got sick at your party, you’ve been acting a little different. Is there something that you're hiding, Diana?” 

The blonde winced and dropped her gaze to the floor. “I’m sorry… I tried really hard to act normal. It’s just…” She paused. “I want to tell you, but I-I can’t. Not yet.”

Akko took a step closer, wanting so badly to break down this wall that her friend had clearly put up. “Just tell me what’s wrong. Please! You can tell me anything.”

“Akko...” Diana sounded pained. She hesitated for a second before continuing. “I want to let you know that no matter what happens, I won’t change the way I feel about you.” 

The two made eye contact for a while without saying anything before the Japanese witch finally spoke up. “Of course I know that,” she smiled. “Don’t you know it’s the same for me?”

The girl still had a guilty look on her face. “I apologize… if I’m worrying you.”

Akko shook her head. “Don’t be! It’s your business anyways. You don’t have to tell anyone if you don't want to. But just know that I’ll always be here to listen, wherever and whenever you’re ready to tell me. I’m always here for you.”

“Thank you, Akko,” she said softly before changing into her normal, composed demeanor. “So same time and place for dinner tonight?”

“Yup, we’ll be there! Cafeteria table number 5!” she joked. “Oh yeah, and Lotte wanted you to tell Barbara to bring her copy of the 23rd volume of Night Fall to dinner.”

“Sure, I’ll let her know.” Diana began carrying the books back into her room. “Thanks again for the help.”

“No problem! See you later.” The two waved goodbye and Akko turned the corner and waited behind it for the sound of the room door closing before she allowed herself to slide down the wall in complete mental exhaustion. _Oh God, how am I ever gonna manage to confess to her on Friday._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is in two weeks instead of the usual one week bc I just uploaded two at the same time :3. Be patient and stay tuned!


	12. Chapter 12

With great effort, Akko waited patiently for Friday afternoon to come like an obedient puppy. Doing so wasn’t very easy for her considering that she had been spending pretty much more than half the day with Diana everyday for the entire week. Plus, it was a little awkward to pretend that their dramatic conversation on Monday didn’t happen. She burned with embarrassment every time the scene replayed in her head.

On the bright side, she had all the time in the world to come up with the perfect strategy for asking the heiress out. She even went to Lotte and Sucy for suggestions, though they ended up not giving any useful advice. Lotte wanted her to profess her love with a bouquet of flowers and a heartfelt poem while Sucy offered to make a love potion as a backup in case Diana were to say no. 

For the sake of her dignity and for Diana’s safety, Akko decided that it was best to give their ideas a hard no. She was just going to settle on confessing to the girl in her own way and letting the words flow out naturally. It was best not to think about it too hard. After all, if you worry about something, it’s almost like having to go through with it twice, and she knew for sure that if she had to confess to Diana twice, she would certainly end up dying of a heart attack.

She was more than nervous, but even so, she knew she absolutely _had_ to be the one to take the first step. After all, she was the only one out of the two of them that knew that their feelings were mutual.

Akko rushed straight up to Professor Ursula’s study right after school had ended on that Friday afternoon and waited for the woman to return from her last period class. Diana had told them earlier that she was going meet them in front of the leyline.

About 15 minutes later, Ursula stumbled into her room while balancing a stack of papers in her arms. “Oh hello, Akko! Sorry I’m late, I had to swing by the staff room to pick up some printouts.” She set them down on top of one of her many messy desks. “Just give me a minute to change and then we can get going.”

Akko gave her a thumbs up. “Sounds good.” As promised, the woman took only a minute to slip into some more casual clothes and the two were soon walking out of the academy and to the leyline. “Oh shoot, do you think I should change too?” the girl asked while looking down at her uniform.

“Hmmm, I think it’s a little too late for that. You should be fine wearing your uniform. Besides-” Ursula squinted across the grassy field that they were passing through and spotted a familiar pale figure in the distance. “I see Diana already and she’s wearing her uniform too.”

Akko visibly stiffened at the name. _Shit, I forgot to ask Ursula for some last minute advice! Too late now, there’s not enough time…_ “Ahhh,” she breathed out, trying to hide her nervousness. “Ok that’s good then.”

Ursula eyed the jittery girl. “Akko, I know you’re nervous because today’s the big day, but you need to relax. Just be yourself and tell Diana how you really feel and I’m sure she’ll respond back with her true feelings. I don’t know exactly how she’ll answer you, but I’m sure she’ll be delicate about it,” she assured while patting the brunette’s head. “And I really don’t think you should be worrying about her rejecting you. Didn’t you tell me about what Andrew said? That she likes you too?”

The girl sighed. “I sure hope so.” 

They were almost within earshot of Diana, so their conversation had to be cut off there. Ursula gave Akko a sympathetic smile before waving to the British girl a few yards away from them. “Good afternoon Diana! Sorry to have kept you waiting.”

The heiress looked up from the small book that she had been reading. “Oh not at all, there’s no rush anyways.” She turned her attention to her visibly uncomfortable friend and gave her a polite greeting. “Hello Akko, ready for today?

She gulped. “You bet hahaha…”

 

\---------

 

Diana was scared to admit it, but she had been pushing herself lately. Of course, she was enjoying all of the time that she got to spend with Akko, but she could physically feel her health deteriorating with every passing day. She knew that she should take it easy and focus her remaining energy towards finding a cure, but it was just so tempting to go out and do other things as if she wasn’t even ill in the first place. At the rate she was going, Diana figured that there wouldn't be much time left before her symptoms would start showing and she wouldn’t be able to keep her illness a secret anymore. She really didn’t want to explain to everyone at Luna Nova about her situation. Just thinking about the process drained her.

And not to mention her main priority: doing what was best for the Cavendish name. She meant no offense to her cousins or to Aunt Daryl, but they didn’t exactly know how to properly handle affairs like she did. Plus with all the magic having been let back into the world, Diana now had _a lot_ of new tasks to take care of regarding business and family affairs. There was no way she was going to let anything get in the way of that.

Honestly, she had really wanted at first to decline Akko’s kind offer to hang out today, but the adorable girl had been so nervous to even ask in the first place that she just couldn’t bring herself to say no. Of course, she was excited to spend time with Akko, but she really only had one main reason for going to the correctional facility. 

She was going to try and ask Croix about a cure for Salander’s Affliction. If anyone in the magic community had even the slightest clue about this illness, it would be Croix. She was, after all, the current leading technological scientist in magic. Maybe she would know some kind of modern way to cure it. Somehow she’d have to figure out a way to get some alone time with the woman without making Akko and Professor Ursula too suspicious. 

“Something on your mind Diana?” asked the astrology teacher, derailing the girl’s train of thought. They were currently flying next to each other on the leyline.

“Nothing particularly,” she lied. “Just excited to get there is all. Akko promised it would be a lot of fun.” She turned her head around and smiled at the Japanese witch who waved back in response.

Ursula laughed. “Well I don’t know about fun, but I’m sure you’ll enjoy a break from the usual scenery of the academy. The correctional facility is huge in comparison! Hope you two don’t get lost in there.”

“Oh, that won’t be a problem. I’m sure-”

“Oh I didn’t mean you, Diana.” Ursula said teasingly. She pointed her thumb at the girl flying behind them. “I’m more worried about that one.”

“Hey!” Akko retorted as Diana laughed. “Why me?! Even I wouldn’t pull something as stupid as that.”

The woman giggled. “Oh! We’re almost there. Get ready girls!” The three of them steadied themselves as their brooms were sucked out of the leyline’s tunnel and into the fresh air of the countryside.

Diana hadn’t been expecting anything too fancy, so she was a little surprised when she first caught sight of the building and its surroundings. The leyline had dropped them off about half a mile from the facility, but the actual building was still slightly visible in the distance. It looked very similar to a college campus in terms of structure, but with a much more welcoming vibe. Nothing at all like a prison, which is what she had initially imagined.

“See Diana? Told you it was nice out here!” Akko said while giving her a pat on the shoulder. “There’s even a nice garden out back where you can feed the ducks in the pond.”

“Yes,” she nodded in response. “I have to say I’m impressed. Is there a reason why the location is so well selected, Professor Ursula?”

“Hmmmm,” the woman hummed while adjusting her glasses. “My best guess is because there are a lot of people that are important in the magic community being housed here. All of them have done something wrong at some point, but they’ve all reconciled and vowed to be helpful instead of harmful from now on. It wouldn’t be proper to keep them in a prison-like setting, so the magic counsel probably decided to go with something a little more humane. It’s really quite accommodating here, actually. There’s even a part of the building that’s used as a research lab.”

“What’s this place called again?” asked Akko, completely ignoring the woman’s lengthy response.

“Haddam Hills Correctional Facility for Magic Morals, I believe?” Diana answered while looking at her Professor for confirmation who cheerily nodded in response.

The three walked down the small dirt path that led up to the large building and when they arrived at the entrance, they were stopped by one of the security guards who asked them for their visitor’s pass. While Ursula searched her bag for the pass, Diana was busy trying not to impolitely laugh at a comment that Akko had whispered to her about the guard looking like a male version of Professor Finellan.

Only when they had gone out of earshot from the guard, Diana allowed herself to let out a shaky breath. “Oh my gosh Akko, you can’t just say something like that about someone when we’re right in front of them!”

The brunette busted out cackling. “But you have to admit that he did look exactly like her!” 

She couldn’t argue with her there. “It was mostly the nose though,” she stated, sending the two of them into another laughing fit.

“Sorry to interrupt you two,” Ursula placed her hands on her hips. “But I’d really like to see Croix as soon as possible if you don’t mind. You can have all the free time you want later to explore, but you should at least pop in and say hello to her first. I’m sure she’ll be happy to see some of her students.”

“Yes of course.” Diana cleared her throat. “That sounds like a good plan.” 

After entering the building, Akko spun around to look at the many corridors. “Uhhhh what room was Croix in again?”

Ursula rolled her eyes and pointed towards the right. “This way, girls,” she asserted and the three began walking down one of the many hallways.

The inside of the facility was just as lavish as it was on the outside. Of course it was nothing like the Cavendish mansion, but it was still impressive enough to make Diana wonder if this was really a place where they housed former criminals. The first few rooms were mostly meeting rooms or lounges that the detainees could use. One of the rooms even had a ping pong table and a TV in it. They had also passed a number of “prisoners” on their way, so she assumed that the policies weren’t really all that strict about keeping them locked up in their rooms all the time. 

“Hey Professor, this place almost seems like it isn’t even a jail at all. Why do these guys have so many privileges?” Akko asked, as if reading Diana’s mind.

“As I said before, most of these people aren’t really criminals so it wouldn’t be fair to hole them up in some prison and let all of their magical talents go to waste. Hadam Hills allows them to continue using their gifts while still keeping them under watch,” the woman replied while waving to a tall man that passed by them. 

“In fact, a lot of the people here have contributed heaps and bounds to the magic community during their stay here!” she continued. “For example, that man we just passed by has recently discovered the cure for hay fever. And Croix told me that one of her friends here had just recently created a new spell to make the effects of potions last longer.”

Akko’s eyes sparkled in admiration. “Wow! That’s amazing!”

Diana was surprised too. “It really is. How come they’re so successful during their stay here?”

“It’s because there are so many resources available in this place,” replied Ursula. “In addition to the extensive library and the top-tier lab, the staff also provides the occupants with all sorts of rare materials that would be otherwise hard to obtain in the outside world. It’s actually a wonderful place to be housed in when you consider all the privileges that the magic users get here. I know Croix is having a decently fun time experimenting to her heart’s content.” 

The professor had said the last part about Croix while smiling and Diana thought that it was adorable how excited Ursula was to see her longtime friend. She was glad that the two teachers were able to reconcile so nicely after years of having pent up angst towards each other. 

The blonde nodded and turned to face Akko. “Do you think we could stop by the library later? You know I’m _dying_ to see it.”

The girl smiled. “Of course! That’s partly why I brought you here anyways. I knew you’d go all nerdy over it. Although, I’ve already seen it before and in my humble opinion, it’s not that interesting. I mean, that library is just _huge_. They could have used the space for an indoor water park or something.”

Diana laughed. “Oh there is no way I’m missing out on going there. I heard they have one of the best collections in the country.” _And that’s why they absolutely must have a book or two on Salander’s Affliction. I have to find them,_ she thought. “Besides Akko,” she continued. “I promise there’ll be at least one book that will spark you interest in there.”

“If you say so," the brunette shrugged. "Honestly, I’m happy with doing whatever makes you happy.”

Diana wanted to say something back, but she broke off when Ursula stopped walking and paused in front of the door to a room. “Huh, that’s strange. Where’s Croix? She’s not in her cell.”

It took the heiress a moment to realize that they had already arrived at the cell block and another moment to register what her professor had just said. “Are you positive that this is the right room?” she asked while peering into one of the many average-sized lodgings. The name label on the door was undoubtedly listed as: Croix Meridies. Even without the label, Diana was able tell that it was the woman’s cell just by the sheer amount of research papers that covered almost every inch of the wall; all pertaining to things that had to do with Wagandea’s curse.

Akko leaned in next to her friend to take a peek at the messy cell for herself. “Wow, Croix’s room looks even worse than mine. And that’s saying something.” The girl turned to Ursula. “Maybe the guards locked her up in the dungeon because they’re punishing her for having an unkept cell?”

The woman raised an eyebrow. “As probable as that may sound Akko, I’m sure that’s not the case. She’s got to be here somewhere. Let’s look around for a bit.”

 

The trio exited the cell block and began searching around the more common areas for the missing professor. Ursula had suggested that the woman might be in the library, so they decided to head there first. They walked for a good amount of time, considering that the library was on the other side of the property.

“Heyyy,” Akko called out from behind the two while dragging her feet. “Why the hell is this place so huge? Wouldn’t it be better if… Oh hey!!” She paused in front of a large room with glass walls that one could see into from the hallway. “Guys, I found Croix!”

Diana swiveled around and Ursula rushed over to where the Japanese girl was pointing to. “Oh thank goodness!” 

The woman quickly entered the large room filled with gym equipment while her two students followed in after her. Ursula visibly clamped up as soon as she caught sight of her lilac-haired friend running on one of the treadmills in the corner of the room while reading a book. _Oh God,_ thought Diana as she rolled her eyes. _Professor Ursula is such a mess when it comes to anything related to her feelings._

“What are you waiting for? Go up and say something to her, Professor Ursula,” Diana whispered to the woman. Croix was too occupied in whatever she was reading at the moment to notice the three out of place witches standing in the doorway.

The very nervous Ursula was just about to open her mouth when Akko ruined the moment and loudly announced their presence. “Yo! How’s it going Professor Croix. Professor Ursula and I came to visit you again and this time we brought Diana with us!”

Clearly caught off guard, Croix frantically pressed the stop button on the treadmill and looked up from her book to face the trio. “Woah, hey guys. You really surprised me there,” she laughed as she stepped off of the machine and began walking towards the them. “It’s good to see you all again! Thank you for coming!”

“I didn’t know you worked out. I thought all you did here was sit on your butt all day,” Ursula said teasingly.

“Haha yeah, well I have to work off all those ramen noodles somehow,” she replied while wiping the sweat off of her face with a towel and exposing her abdomen in the process. Ursula began very obviously staring and swooning at the sight of her ‘friend’. Croix caught the woman in the act and smirked. “Like what you see?” 

The red-haired witch attempted to avoid eye contact. “...Well I’m not exactly complaining,”

“AHEM!!” Akko loudly cleared her throat while Diana stifled a giggle. “We’re still here you know!”

Ursula blushed and turned away while Croix chuckled. “Sorry you two. It’s good to see you’re doing well Akko. How’s your magic recovery coming along?”

“It’s going great!” the girl replied. “Diana and Professor Ursula have been helping me a lot, so I’m not really worried. I can even fly now thanks to all the work Diana puts into teaching me everyday!” she stated while wrapping an arm around the flustered blonde.

“Is that so? That sounds wonderful,” said Croix spiritedly. She shifted her attention to Diana. “And how are you doing Miss Cavendish? Studies going well I presume? I’ve always admired your intelligence. Reminds me a lot of myself during my Luna Nova days.”

Diana smiled politely. “Yes, everything’s coming along fine. The academy’s definitely gotten very exciting in the past year. We’d love to welcome you back whenever your ready. Even Headmistress Holbrooke has been asking about when you are going to return.”

The woman nodded. “Of course, I'd be honored.”

“So how do you like it here?” Diana asked.

“Well…. It definitely took some getting used to at first, but this place is actually really good for me. I was given the opportunity to start anew and I really get to concentrate on working towards a cure for Wagandea’s curse. It’s the perfect environment for me to do that.” The woman paused to sneak in a smile at Ursula, then snapped back into reality as if just remembering something. “Oh yeah! That reminds me Diana, have you seen the library here yet? It’s unreal! They have one of the largest collection of magical indexes here. Magic users from around the world visit all the time just to check it out.”

_Yes, this is perfect! Just as planned,_ she thought. _Now I just have to get her alone and..._ “Oh no I haven’t yet, but I’m dying to see it,” she replied while trying to hide the desperation in her voice.

Croix nodded. “Sure! I’d be glad to give you guys a tour of it later.” She brushed a hand through her damp hair. “But first I really gotta take shower.”

“Thank god! You’re practically dripping with sweat!” Ursula laughed. “Akko and Diana, why don’t you two walk around a bit. I’ll take Croix back to her room and wait for her to finish up.”

Akko bounced up and down, clearly eager to split off from the lovey dovey adults. “Okay! Have fun you two!” She grabbed her friend’s hand. “Come on Diana, I’ll show you around the garden!”

Diana gave the two women an apologetic wave before being pulled away like a sled. Once they were far enough away, she decided that it was safe to speak. “Wow those two are so obviously in love.”

Akko cringed. “Ugh I know right? They couldn’t get us out of there fast enough.”

“To be fair, it must be hard to be in a long distance relationship. I don’t really blame them for not being able to control themselves.”

“Yeah… That’s true,” the Japanese witch gave a half-smile. “I’m happy for them though. It’s about time that something went right for those two.”

“Agreed.”

The girl seemed to keep walking on, oblivious to the fact that she was still holding Diana’s hand. Unfortunately for the heiress however, she was very conscious of her friends fingers wrapped around her probably sweaty hand. She was almost at her breaking point before Akko suddenly spoke up again. “Uhhhh Diana.”

“Hmmm?”

“I’m kind of lost.”

Diana sighed. “I expected as much… Let’s ask someone for directions.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Oh, Akko. You know I'm just _dyingggg_ to see the library."
> 
> Yeah. You are, Diana. Lmao


	13. Chapter 13

“Here we are!” Akko excitedly burst open the door to the yard, sending a wave of warm, fresh air through the doorway. The sun shone strongly into the dim hall.

Diana squinted at the sudden shift in brightness. “It certainly is a nice day outside.”

The brunette nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! That means the garden will be especially nice today.” She grabbed the heiress’s hand and pulled her outside. “So what do ya think?”

“Wow it’s- it’s beautiful.” The garden, if it was even appropriate to call it that, stretched around the back of the building for what seemed to be about a mile or two. The only thing differentiating it from the fields surrounding the property was the 10 foot wall that encircled it and acted as the cut off. 

As Akko had previously promised, a murky pond sat right in the middle of the garden. Several ducks glided around on the water while bright orange fish swam below the surface. However, by far the most noticeable thing about the stretch of land was the overwhelming variation of greenery that had been planted all over the place. Rose bushes, hyacinths, hydrangeas, and marigolds were only a few of the flora out of many that Diana was able to recognize. There was a line of benches arranged across the stone path that wrapped around the pond, but despite the garden’s welcoming scenery and it’s abundance of seating areas, the entire area was completely desolate of other people except for the two of them. 

“I’m surprised we’re the only ones here. If I lived here I’d spend time outside as often as I could,” Diana commented while further admiring the colorful view.

“Oh yeah,” Akko laughed. “I think Croix said something last time about the inmates here being mostly indoors people.”

“Haha yes, I can see that.”

The girl smirked. “Why? Are you complaining that it’s just the two of us?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Good! Let’s go!” Akko grabbed ahold of her friend’s hand and gently pulled her along onto the stone path.

_Ah, there she goes with the hand holding again,_ Diana thought. Not that she didn’t like it though. “So what would you like to do here?”

Her friend shrugged. “I guess we can just walk around for a while and once you get tired there’s a really nice spot where we can rest under one of the trees here.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Diana replied and the two began to walk along the edge of the pond. Even though she didn’t want to admit it, she was already tired. In fact, she’d been exhausted ever since she had woken up in the morning, but she wasn’t going to let that get in the way of her main objective today: asking Croix for help.

“Sooooo,” Akko drawled, breaking the silence. “Do you think Croix and Ursula are getting it on already?”

“HUh?! How should I know?” She replied back, embarrassed.

The Japanese girl, who was clearly having fun with this conversation topic, grinned mischievously. “I mean to be fair, it’s been a while since the last time Professor Ursula visited. They probably have _a lot_ of catching up to do.” 

“D-didn’t Croix say that she had to take a shower though?” Diana stammered out. 

“Well maybe they’re having a little fun in the shower together.”

“In the shower?!”

“In. The. Shower,” Akko emphasized slowly. 

Diana shuddered at the thought. “Let’s change the subject…Didn’t you say that there were ducks here?”

“Oh yeah! I totally forgot.” The girl slung her backpack off, unzipped it and pulled out a loaf of bread. 

“Ah… you came prepared I see.” Diana furrowed her brows. “But Akko, ducks aren’t really supposed to eat bread you know? Cabbage or peas would have been more appropriate.”

“I know, I know, but I couldn’t exactly find a head of cabbage lying around,” she pouted. “Just say thank you and take the bread, miss picky.”

“Fine.” She rolled her eyes and smiled. “Thank you.”

The two walked around some more while throwing small pieces of bread at the ducks for about half an hour before Diana mentioned that she was feeling a little tired, prompting Akko to lead them underneath a large tree at one of the corners of the garden. “Do you wanna take a nap or something?” she asked with concern.

“No it’s fine, I just want to sit here and take in the sun for a bit,” Diana replied while sitting down in a patch of grass.

“Oooooo, me too! I wouldn’t mind a tan!” The girl took a seat next to her and stretched her entire body out underneath the tree. Diana followed suit and the two witches laid there with their shoulders pressed together, staring at the sky and enjoying the wonderful ambience of the garden. 

“Hey Diana?”

“Hmmm?” 

“You haven’t been feeling sick or anything lately right?” 

Diana's mind froze and she couldn’t help but leave a noticeable pause before she answered. “...No” 

“Ok good.” She waited for Akko to speak again, but the bombardment of further questions never came. The silence only made her more anxious. _Does she know? No there’s no way she could have possibly figured out anything._ She looked over at the brunette just to see if she had any suspicious expressions on her face. It looked normal enough to her. _Then again,_ she thought. _Akko is Akko, after all. She continues to amaze me with her abilities of perception. Maybe she does know something..._

Diana shut her eyes and tried her best to push the thought away. It was better not to dwell on it now; there would be plenty of time for doing so later. After about 20 minutes, she felt Akko stand up and soon heard the energetic rustling of grass around her. Her eyes remained closed and she strained her ears to hear her surroundings.

_My, she sure is making a lot of noise. What on earth could she be doing,_ she wondered about her friend playfully. Just about every time the girl crossed her mind, she couldn’t help but associate her with disastrous situations and fond memories. She had a mountain of worries piled up in her head, but somehow Akko managed to make her forget about them, even if only for a short while. Even so, she still wasn’t able to forget about the fact that soon her illness would progress to a point where she wouldn’t be able to do anything but worry and any thought of spending time with her friends or taking care of Cavendish affairs would have to be left out. 

The only chance she had left now was Croix and the seemingly infinite knowledge contained in this library. And if that didn’t work...

Diana took a deep inhale of the fresh air and attempted to block out any negative thoughts. She listened in for the sounds of birds chirping, the wind blowing through the grass, and of her friend treading around the garden. _Mmmm this breeze feels nice. The sun feels so fabulously warm. What a wonderful afternoon…_

 

“...ia..a…...iana…...Diana, wake up!”

“Hmmm?” At the sound of her name being called, Diana sluggishly opened her eyes and nearly crashed into her friend’s forehead, which was only mere inches from her own. “A-Akko?”

“Sleep well?” the girl grinned, looking down at her.

She forced herself upright and rubbed the sleepiness from her eyes. “I must have dozed off for a moment there. How long was I out?”

“Don’t worry, you weren’t asleep for long. Like half an hour probably,” Akko stated while sitting down next to her. She was holding something behind her back. 

“And what have you been doing in the meantime?” Diana asked while attempting to take a peek of whatever her friend was attempting to hide.

The girl put on a proud smile. “I picked some flowers for you!” She pulled out a wildly colored bouquet of flowers from behind her back and handed them to the very awe-stricken Diana. “I think I managed to get one of every kind they had here in the garden. It’s pretty right?”

The blonde couldn’t do anything but speechlessly accept the bundle of flowers. She stared at them for a very long time before breaking into a huge smile. “Oh yes, these are wonderful! But why pick them for me?”

Akko raised an eyebrow. “Well why not? I mean I had some free time and there were a bunch of flowers just sitting there so ya know…”

_Ah… I see… Of course, don’t get your hopes up. She just did it because she didn’t have anything else to do. Akko couldn’t possibly have any other reasons..._

“And I-I wanted to give them to you and only you. Who else would I even want to give them to? I want to make you happy, Diana… Lately that’s the only thing I’ve been thinking about,” Akko muttered while turning a very noticeable bright red.

_Huh?_ She couldn’t believe it. Either it was just her imagination, or Akko had just said something that actually hinted that… she might like her too. The possibility was just so foreign to Diana that even the most obvious of hints would have to slap her in the face for her to even consider that the feelings between the two of them were mutual. And this hint had not only slapped her, it had slammed into her at full force. Her brain struggled to play catch-up with her rapidly beating heart.

“Diana I-”

Akko tried starting again, but she was cut off by the booming sound of the building’s doors opening into the garden. “Akko, Diana! You girls out here?” called a familiar voice. The girls turned around and locked eyes with their M.I.A. professors, who were now standing at the entrance to the garden. “Oh there they are!” Croix exclaimed while pointing towards them. 

Professor Ursula was linking arms with the freshly showered woman while she waved to the two of them. “Come on back in girls! We’re all ready to give you a tour!”

“B-be right there!” Akko shouted back. She turned to Diana and chuckled nervously. “I guess we better go then.”

“Right,” she gave her friend a firm nod. _Damn it! What was she going to say?!_ The two professors had cut their conversation off right when it was starting to get promising. Diana knew that the suspense was going to bug her all day.

It was only when the girls got closer to their professors did they notice the distinct blush on Ursula’s face, the absence of some of her lipstick, and said missing lipstick smeared along multiple areas around Croix’s neck. 

Diana and Akko gave each other a look as if to say, _could these lustful women honestly be ANY more obvious?_ They both said nothing, however, and Diana tried her very best to look literally anywhere except for Croix’s Sephora smudged neck. Either the two women were not at all aware at how unsubtle they were being, or they just straight up didn’t care. She guessed it was probably a little bit of both. 

“Ok gang,” Croix clapped her hands together. “I thought I’d start off by giving you a look at the lab first. I’m pretty excited to show you guys what I’ve been working on for all this time.”

“Sure, I’m fine with that,” Akko replied. “How bout you, Diana?”

“Yes that’s fine,” she answered. She had to be patient if she didn’t want to arouse suspicion in anyone about her plan. She’d just have to wait for a little while to chat with Croix alone. Hopefully the woman would be discrete about it too.

The four of them arrived at the lab without much hassle and Croix used her specialized key to unlock the high tech door to the room, which only opened if you had special permission. “The people who run this place were all for my research into Wagandea’s Curse so they were happy to lend me a generous space in the lab,” she explained while holding the door open for everyone. 

Diana walked in first and flicked on the light switch. She looked around and wasn’t surprised to find the room filled with all types of glassware and fancy scientific equipment that not even she was entirely familiar with. After all, her talent did lie in the more traditional ways of magic. Not so much the new technological methods. “So which station is yours?” she asked the professor.

The woman pointed to a relatively large table littered with stray papers and half-filled test tubes with chemicals still in them. Akko stepped forward to follow in after Diana but was stopped by Croix, who grabbed her by her shirt’s collar. “Ah-Hey! What gives Professor Croix?!”

The lilac haired woman leaned in close to the girl’s ear and lowered her voice. “Just letting you know that if you break _anything_ in this lab I’ll be the one who has to face the consequences from my superiors, which means _you_ will get in even more trouble from _me_. Are we clear, Missus Klutz Kagari?” She ended the threat with an eerie smile.

Akko gulped. “Yes ma’am! Understood!” She tiptoed over to Ursula and Diana and stood completely rigid with both hands at her side, which the heiress found adorably amusing. 

“Ok now that everybody’s at full attention, I present to you the fruit of my labor!” Croix exclaimed while holding out her hands and presenting the mess of a desk that sat in front of them. 

“Uhm Professor Croix,” Akko raised her hand. “No offense, but I think you need a maid or something because I have no idea what exactly it is that you’re trying to show us.” She picked up one of the many pieces of paper that were spread out on the tabletop. “I literally can’t even read 50% of your handwriting.”

The woman pouted. “As long as I know where everything is, then that’s all that matters. Isn’t it?”

Ursula pursed her lips. “Akko does have a point, you know. You’d make it easier on yourself if you were more organized.”

“ANYWAYS,” Croix cleared her throat. “If there are no more interruptions, allow me to tell you all how my progress on Wagandea’s Curse is going.” She circled around the desk and pulled out a few papers from the bottom of a large pile. “The hardest part of this whole thing was figuring out where to even start my research. It took me a while, but I decided to begin by looking through a bunch of really old books they had in the library and seeing if there were any similar diseases or curses that matched the morphology of Wagandea’s. Then I went from there and started to experiment with different materials and looked at their samples at a molecular level and…” She stopped when she realized that the two simpler witches, Akko and Ursula, already looked completely lost. 

Croix sighed and handed over the paper that she had been holding to the heiress. “Here Diana, have a look. At least maybe you’ll find it interesting.”

Diana accepted and scanned the paper. “Oh wow! This is actually really advanced, Professor Croix. It seems that you’re really close to figuring out the cure too. And you did all of this in…?”

“Seven months,” the woman answered with a proud grin.

“Seven months…” Diana repeated. “That’s very impressive. Just what I expected from the magic community’s head scientist.” 

Akko leaned over her friend’s shoulder and tried to read the paper as well. “Uhhh well, I don’t really understand any of this buuut, how much longer do you think it’ll take you to get the cure?”

“Hmmmm, it shouldn’t be long now,” Croix said while rubbing her chin. “I’m mostly just finishing up some fine tuning, at the moment. My best guess would be about a month longer till I’m officially finished with it. After that though I’d have to wait till the end of the year for the rest of the magic community to authorize it before I can actually use it on a person.” 

“That soon?!” Ursula stammered. “That’s insane, even for you Croix!”

“Well, I’m doing all of this for you, Chariot. So of course I’d like to hurry up and get it done so I can cure you. I worked extra hard on this project because I still can’t stand what happened to you because of me. I know this in no means makes up for what I did but-”

“Stop,” Ursula put a hand on her friend’s shoulder. The atmosphere in the room immediately changed from lively to serious. “Remember what we talked about? That’s all in the past. I forgive you,” she said slowly. 

“I also forgive you Professor Croix!” Akko beamed. “And I’m sure most of Luna Nova feels the same, right?” 

Diana nodded her head. “Yes I imagine so. Like Professor Ursula said, it’s all in the past. What matters most is what kind of person you choose to be from now on.”

Croix stared blankly at the two students in front of her who had no obligation to visit her, but did so anyways. Then she looked down at Chariot, who was giving her the most ridiculous puppy dog eyes ever, and chuckled. “Thanks you guys. Guess you’re right.” She clapped her hands together. “All right! Enough of this sad shit. Who’s ready to see the library!”

_About time,_ Diana thought. _But how am I supposed to tell her about my situation if Akko and Ursula are going to be following me around the entire time._ She clenched her jaw. 

“I’m ready but,” Akko crossed her legs. “I reeeeeally have to pee. Can we take a bathroom break first?” The girl’s eyes were begging for relief.

Diana’s ears perked up at her friend’s comment. _Yes! Perfect timing! Now’s my chance._ “Oh! Professor Ursula, why don’t you take Akko to the bathroom while I go ahead with Professor Croix to the library?” The Japanese girl shot her a puzzled look for the sudden request of separation, but she ignored it.

The two women also looked equally confused at Diana’s odd swing in character, but they said nothing about it. “Oh eager now, are we?” Croix asked with her eyebrows raised. “Sure, I don’t mind.” She turned to Ursula. “Chariot?”

“Oh, yes that’s fine. We’ll meet you two there then?” 

Croix gave her friend a thumbs up and a wink. “Ok!” She patted Diana’s back. “Shall we go then?”

She nodded and the two proceeded to head out of the lab and into the hallway towards the library. Diana wished she had thought a bit more about how to phrase the way she was going to present her situation to Croix without making it seem like such a big deal. The last thing that she wanted was for the woman to panic and tell everyone about her business. 

“Wow, so you must really like books huh Diana? Or maybe you just wanted to get a headstart without Akko?” The woman laughed awkwardly. “So what kind of material are you interested in? We have a really big collection of water based spells. I think my personal favorites are-”

“Actually, Professor. That’s not exactly why I wanted to talk to you alone…” Diana revealed quietly while lowering her gaze to the floor.

Croix gave her a side glance and sighed. “Yeah I figured. I could take the hint that you’ve been dying to ask me a question this whole time. Am I right?”

“Y- yes that’s right.” The woman’s perceptiveness had caught her off guard.

“So what is it? I’ll try to answer to the best of my abilities.”

At this point in the conversation the pair had finally arrived at the infamous Hadam Hills library, which was just as grand and as literature abundant as Akko had said it would be. Much to Diana’s relief, the large room was empty for now, making it very convenient for her to openly tell Croix about her predicament. 

“Come, let’s take a seat.” The two sat down at one of the desks in the seating section. The woman folded her hands to her chin and placed her elbows on the table while eyeing the nervous girl in front of her. “Take your time, whenever you’re ready.”

Diana opened her mouth to speak, but found the words unable to come out. It wasn’t exactly easy explaining to someone that you were going to die soon and that they were the only hope you had left of living. It also didn’t help that she was very noticeably shaking. “I’m sorry. I don’t know where to start exactly.”

The woman didn’t say anything in response, but her eyes were urging her on to continue. _Here goes nothing,_ she thought. “Are you aware of my family’s history?”

“Do you mean the Cavendish house in general?”

“Yes-well, more specifically my mother, Bernadette.”

“Of course I do. Chariot and I grew up during a time when your mother was pretty famous in the magic community. She accomplished some very impressive feats for someone so young,” Croix replied.

Diana hadn’t even gotten to the worst part of the conversation yet and her throat was already beginning to clamp up. “Do you recall the details about what happened to her that made her… pass away?”

The woman furrowed her brow in thought. “If I remember correctly, she had this problem with her immune system. Or wait- some kind of ridiculously rare disease that no one knew anything about.”

“Salander’s Affliction,” Diana added quietly.

“Yeah, that was it! Salander’s Affliction. I remember it pretty well because I was so shocked by the news. I mean, an illness that even Bernadette couldn’t cure… it just wasn’t fair at all. I can’t even imagine how hard it must have been for you, Diana.”

She took a sharp inhale when a stream of painful memories about her mother began to resurface. “Yes but, do you remember anything specific about the illness? Anything about it’s composition that stood out to you?”

“Hmmm.” Croix closed her eyes to think. “I remember looking into it a few years back just because I was curious. I was able to find a few things on it. I even came across some books in this library that mentioned Salander’s Affliction briefly.”

Diana stood up so quickly that her chair almost toppled over. “You did?! Please share what you know with me, Professor. Anything at all that you would consider relevant to the illness.”

“Sure, I’d be happy to.” The woman’s confused face suddenly turned pale. She jolted upwards almost as fast as Diana had and nervously pressed her palms onto the table. “Wait a second…If I remember reading correctly, it mentioned that in most cases the disease was... hereditary.”

The girl kept her gaze glued to the floor.

“Diana… Don’t tell me… the reason you’re so interested in this is because…” Croix didn’t finish her sentence. She didn’t have to.

_Looks like she figured it out without me having to tell her,_ she grimaced. This was the most anxious she had ever seen Croix. To think that she was actually concerned for Diana after all of the terrible things that happened. It would have been a touching moment if not for the context of the situation. 

“I don’t have much time left,” Diana barely whispered. “It’s getting harder to conceal the symptoms. Soon, it’ll get so bad that I won’t be able to use my full abilities to find the cure. I _need_ your help, Professor Croix.”

Panic spread across the woman’s face. “Of course! But… a cure? Diana, I don’t think-”

“I’m well aware that so far there has been no cure for it. Even my mother, the head healer of her generation, wasn’t able to figure out how to shake this illness. I just thought… it would be different with you. Maybe with your new technology or some new science you could…” Diana forced herself to stop. She hated how she sounded like a child begging an adult for the impossible. “Please, I can’t die yet. I refuse to give up without a fight.”

Croix remained silent. Her eyes were filled with worry, but she managed to uphold a determined expression. “Wait here.” The professor strided over to one of the stairs in the library that lead to the upper floors of bookshelves while Diana did as she was told and remained at the table.

A few minutes later, the woman hurriedly returned with a large, and very modern looking book that Diana didn’t recognize. “This encyclopedia is the best collection of information that the world has on any magical related ailments. It contains everything about them; from origins, to elements, to compositions and to remedies. It was updated just last year, so everything written here was checked out with all the best modern methods. I’m positive that it’s almost entirely accurate,” Croix explained while flipping through the pages of the book.

The girl widened her eyes and watched as the nervous woman tried to find the page on Salander’s Affliction. “What does it say?”

As soon as Croix found the section on it, she placed the book on the table so that both of them could study it’s contents. The information the book had on the illness was about ten pages long, which was much larger than any of the research that Diana had previously scrounged up combined. 

The pair read the pages like they were starved and quickly took all of the new things discovered about the disease into their brains. Diana thought that she could allow herself at least some hope after she saw the vast amount of new content that the writers had come up with for the disease. However, she was quickly proved wrong after reading only a few of the pages. After some amount of time of reading, her eyes began to blur with tears that she had been trying to hold back, so she had to stop. Croix continued on agonizingly.

The new statements that she had freshly read about the affliction stained the back of her eyelids. _**Originated from the now extinct viruses of the Wagandea tree… Very old epidemiology and morphology… No structural similarities to any other known illnesses… Still very little is known about Salander’s Affliction…**_

Diana was far from ignorant about medical terminology. She knew what having an old epidemiology meant. It was like trying to get rid of the black plague with a flu shot. Salander’s Affliction was an ancient illness that practically never showed its face past the 21st century. That meant that it was pretty much impossible to find any accurate solutions to curing it in current times.

“Croix, isn’t there anything you can do? Isn’t there something else you can try? More research you could conduct?” Diana asked, her voice rasping with desperation.

The woman sat down and dropped her head into her hands. “I’m so sorry Diana. I’ll- I’ll do everything I can to find out more about this but, I’ll be honest… It doesn’t look good.” She stood up again and faced the other direction. “It’s such a cruel sickness. It doesn’t care about the rules at all. There’s nothing currently in this world that would even match up to it. I mean, you read it too right? If its origins are from Wagandea… then there’s nothing much I can do about it. Everything from that tree has been lost to the time when magic was much more powerful and therefore much more effective at curing things like this.”

The two stood in silence for what seemed to be a very long time. Diana’s head felt like a block of lead. She didn’t really know what to do anymore. This was her last resort and it had ultimately failed. “Please keep this a secret from everybody. I don’t have the energy to deal with people’s useless worrying,” she managed to choke out.

Croix turned back around and let out a deep sigh. “I understand why you want to keep it private for as long as you can. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. I’ll also continue my research on Salander’s Affliction. Now that I’m done with researching Wagandea’s Curse, I intend to attack this with all I’ve got. Let’s not give up hope just yet.”

“Right. Thanks,” Diana replied emptily. _What do I do now? What on earth do I do now?_

The dead sound of the library was suddenly disturbed by the doors swinging open, revealing a very satisfied-looking Akko and an out of breath Ursula. “Sorryyy guys~,” the red-haired woman panted. “I’m still not 100% familiar with this place yet so I got a little lost on the way haha…”

Croix looked down at Diana, unsure of whether or not to act normal after all the things she had learned about the girl in the past few minutes. She swallowed hard and laughed nervously. “Oh so that’s what took you two so long. Diana and I got tired of waiting for you already haha. Right Diana?” Croix teased while nudging the girl’s shoulder. 

Diana’s sullen blue eyes remained fixed to the floor. She was physically unable to give a response.

“.....Diana?” 

Going against her better judgement, she sprinted out of the room, rushing past all three clearly concerned witches on her way out. 

“Diana?! What happened?!” She heard Akko calling after her, but didn’t stop. “Diana!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bro this chapter took soooo long to write. Literally almost boiled my brain. 
> 
> Also I’ll upload the next chapter tomorrow instead of in a week because, once again, I do not like leaving things on a cliffhanger! :)


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will not disappoint, I assure you.

“Diana! Come back!” Akko’s cries were no use, considering Diana had already gone way out of earshot.

The brunette turned back to look at her two Professors, who looked just as confused as she was. “What happened?!”

“Croix, did you do something to her?” Ursula asked worriedly.

“Huh?! There’s no way I would ever- hey, Akko. Get back here!”

It was too late, Akko was already out the door and sprinting after her friend. She had no idea where she was going, but she absolutely had to find Diana. The look on the girl’s face before she ran out of the room… It had broken Akko’s heart. Something was definitely wrong. She didn’t care if Diana still refused to talk about it, she was getting to the bottom of this once and for all. No more secrets.

Not to mention, she wasn’t about to miss her opportunity to confess her feelings to the heiress. She had stressed about it for far too long to not be able to go through with it. Today was going to be the day.

_Man, Diana sure can run fast! I really didn’t think she had it in her._ Akko could hear her own breathing getting heavier and heavier. _Damn, I gotta work out more._

“Diana!? Where are you!” She called out again in vain. She had already been running around this building for what felt like 10 minutes and the possibilities of where her friend could be were infinite. “Ugh I’m never gonna find her like this!”

By a tremendous stroke of luck, Akko managed to catch a flash of something green moving outside one of the windows. Thank the nines, it was Diana! And she was running straight towards the entrance to Haddam Hills. _Does she plan on going back to the leyline?!_

“No time for rules right now!” Akko yelled as she flung open the window and jumped straight out of it, landing on a cluster of bushes. It stung a little bit, but a fall like that wasn’t gonna stop her anytime soon. She sprung up from the now crushed shrubs and continued running straight after the blonde. She was close enough now that she was sure that she could catch up to Diana before she could get away.

Up ahead, she could hear the Finellan look-alike guard calling after Diana as she ran past him at the front gate. After realizing the other girl was clearly a lost cause for reason, the man turned to Akko in an attempt to stop her. “Slow down, Miss! You and your friend can’t leave without signing out-”

“Sorry! We’ll do it later,” she yelled back at the man without slowing down at all. 

The two had already made quite the distance from the facility where the guard seemed to have given up on pursuing them. Diana was just about to reach the leyline with her broom when Akko managed to grab ahold of the girl’s arm, stopping her from proceeding any further. 

“Let go, Akko! Please!” She said while trying to break her arm free of her friend’s iron grip.

“What’s wrong Diana?! What the hell happened back there? Are you alright?” Akko was putting no effort into hiding the concern in her voice. “Does this have to do with that thing you can’t tell me about?”

The blonde still refused to make eye contact with her. “It doesn’t matter right now. I just really want to return to my dorm, so if you’ll be so kind as to let go of me.”

“I’m not letting you go back until you tell me what’s wrong! I care about you Diana, I can’t just stand by and watch you be miserable like this.”

She heard the girl scoff. “There’s nothing you can do, Akko. You wouldn’t understand.”

At that, Akko felt her blood boil. She hadn’t intended to get angry with the girl, but Diana was just being unfair at this point. “How can you say that! Do you still not understand or something? Do you not understand how much it hurts to see you upset like this?” She stomped her foot down. “I mean come on! I thought I was being obvious with you!”

Diana snapped her head back and finally looked at Akko in the face, clearly taken aback by what she had just said. The rims of her sad blue eyes were slightly red, indicating that probably more than a few tears had slipped out from her during the chase. If Akko’s heart wasn’t broken before, it sure was now. This was the first time she had ever seen Diana so vulnerable.

The British girl broke their eye contact and looked down at the grass. “I’m sorry Akko, I can’t tell you. It’s better this way. You should just forget about it, it’s not even that important anyways.”

“Well, clearly it is important,” she retorted back. “Otherwise you wouldn’t be making the expression that you’re making right now.”

For a while neither of them said anything and the only sound being made was the sound of the wind blowing through the grass that surrounded them. Akko took a deep breath. _Well… I guess now is as good a time as any._

“Diana look at me.” She waited until the girl reluctantly met her gaze. “I love you. I know it for sure now. Please go out with me.”

 

\------------

 

Had Diana heard correctly? Did Akko just say that she... Or maybe she had been hallucinating. An influx of emotions spread throughout her body. Happiness, confusion, heartache, weakness. She couldn’t believe that this was happening, especially under these circumstances. “W-what did you just say?” she managed to stammer out.

“I love you Diana. Please go out with me,” Akko repeated, slowly and tenderly this time. 

For once in her life, Diana’s mind was completely blank. She had just learned that there was practically no chance of her survival and now out of all times, Akko had decided to do something that Diana had been wishing she would do for the longest time. It was becoming very difficult for her not to burst into tears on the spot for multiple reasons. “...Why now? Why would you say something like that all of a sudden?” she asked while shaking her head.

“Well, right now is actually perfect,” Akko replied without missing a beat. “If I tell you how I feel about you now and you agree to date me, then you’ll have to tell me what’s got you so upset! After all, you can’t keep secrets from the person that you’re dating, ya know?”

If Diana wasn’t on the verge of breaking down, she would have laughed out loud at Akko’s backwards logic. _Leave it to Akko to find new ways to surprise me._ Her heart was jumping for joy that her feelings for the Japanese witch were mutual. She would have said yes in a heartbeat if it wasn’t for… the limited time that she had left in her life. For that reason, there was really only one response that she could give to her.

“Akko… I-I can’t accept. I’m sorry. Please forgive me… I’m so sorry,” she whispered in a low voice. She was scared to look up at her friend’s face after that blatant rejection. She didn’t want to see the unavoidable crushed expression plastered onto Akko’s usually sweet face.

“No Diana, _I’m_ sorry.” 

The blonde’s eyes shot up and she was shocked to see that Akko didn’t look sad at all! She looked determined. “I’m sorry Diana, but I don’t believe you,” she repeated.

“Huh? What are you saying? Didn’t you hear what I just said?” 

“I mean, you’re not telling the truth. You’ve always been such a terrible liar. Why don’t you try being honest with yourself for once?”

“I-I’m not lying.” Diana was getting seriously thrown off by Akko’s perceptiveness. “I meant what I said, I can’t accept your feelings.”

That quieted the girl down. She tried not to show it, but Diana could tell that Akko was really hurt by that last statement. Nevertheless, the persistent girl continued pushing through the conversation. “Why?... Is it because there’s no way that you could ever feel the same about me? I guess I understand why you wouldn’t… I’m clumsy, I’m plain, I barely have anything to offer you. I’d probably be the last person that you’d ever consider having feelings for.”

“You’re wrong Akko! You have no idea how severely I’ve fallen in love with you.” Diana tried to stop the words as soon as they came out of her mouth, but it was already too late. The sentence rang through the air.

She hadn’t wanted to give Akko any hope of mutual feelings. She didn’t want the poor girl getting attached to someone who would be dying soon anyways. Diana only wanted to protect her precious friend, even if it meant squandering her true feelings in the process. But now, everything was out in the open. She couldn’t take back what she had just said and honestly, she didn’t want to. She quickly covered her mouth, refusing to allow herself to say anything else so foolish. The blush on her face must have been burningly obvious. She had no idea how Akko had managed to not show any color during her bold confession.

“Okay...Then what’s the problem?” Akko continued, confused. “Whatever it is that you’re dealing with, just tell me. You know that I’d do anything for you. We can try to figure it out together, okay?”

“I can’t ask you to do that!” Diana said, raising her voice. “This is my problem to deal with. I’m not going to drag you into this.”

The girl clicked her tongue. “There you go again with that Cavendish logic. Thinking you always have to do things by yourself and without any help.”

“...It’s not like that, Akko. Please try to understand-”

“Actually I don’t understand you at all Diana… If you feel the same way about me, then why are you saying that we can’t be together?” She asked dejectedly. 

That was it. That was the breaking point for Diana. She could tell that Akko was only getting more and more crushed as the conversation continued. She had planned on setting things straight with her right here, but the poor girl’s melancholic voice had broken something in her. She couldn’t bear it any longer. 

She sighed deeply and closed her eyes. “I… I don’t have much time left.”

“Huh? What are you saying? We have plenty of time left before we have to be back by curfew,” Akko spat out, clearly a little annoyed. She probably thought that Diana was toying with her.

_Oh God, I don’t want to say it._ Diana faltered, but really, she was getting fed up with this emotionally draining conversation. “I mean I don’t have much time left before I die, Akko,” she stated bluntly.

The Japanese girl’s face shifted instantly. She opened and closed her mouth several times before managing to get a word out. “W-what? What is that supposed to mean?”

Diana clenched her jaw. “Do you recall when I told you about how my mother passed away? Well, she had an illness called Salander’s Affliction. It sucked the energy out of her for years before it finally took her life… And now I have the same thing that she had.”

Akko was beginning to turn a very pale color. “But- but you can heal yourself right? Like you said before, people don’t use magic for common colds and stuff; only for serious things. This seems pretty serious to me so…”

She shook her head. “It’s an extremely uncommon disease and on top of that it’s origins are practically ancient. I looked for a long time… I even asked Professor Croix if there was anyway to make a cure… I’m afraid there’s nothing more that can be done.”

“No way, no way, no way this is happening,” Akko pressed her palms into her eyes. “Why on Earth would you keep something like this from me?”

“Because I didn’t want you to get caught up in this whole mess with me!” She shouted back. “I wanted you to keep living your life without being sad that I died… We can’t do this thing together Akko, you’re only going to get hurt in the end. It would be better if you just forgot about all of this… Just leave me be and-”

Before Diana could go any further with her noble speech, Akko pulled her into a crushing hug and buried her face into her platinum locks. “I don’t care about any of that! Who I love isn’t your decision to make!”

“Akko…”

“And don’t say there’s nothing you can do about it! There’s always another a way! You just have to try harder!” the girl said with brimming confidence. “Croix doesn’t have the final word. Your stupid books don’t have the final word. There’s definitely a way to cure you, Diana! Believe in yourself and believe in the people who want to help you!” Akko dug her face out of her friend's shoulder and looked at her with a beaming smile.

Diana didn’t like crying in front of other people. She was, after all, the expected heiress to the Cavendish family, the top witch at Luna Nova, and one of the most influential nobles in all of England. But in the end, she was still just a 17 year old girl. She wanted her loving mother to hold her and to comfort her, but that just wasn’t possible anymore. There was no one left in the world that knew her weak side like her mother and yet, here was Akko, who was trying her very best to understand Diana and all of the feelings that she kept hidden inside. 

And isn’t that what love between two people was supposed to be? Wanting to understand each other despite all the impossibility that comes with it?

_That face,_ Diana thought. _The smile that’s always on her face is so comforting… And the fact that she can put on a smile like that even now… That’s what love is, I think._

She finally allowed the tears to come rushing down her face. “I…I don’t wanna die!” Diana fell to her knees and began to sob, releasing everything that she had been holding in till now.

“You won’t.” Akko, who was crying now too, knelt down and put her arms around her. “I promise you won’t. Not if I can help it.”

In the distance the sun began to plunge behind the horizon, willing to put an end to such a stressful day. But Diana knew it wasn’t the end of anything. In fact, it was just the beginning.

 

After about 30 minutes of a good crying session, Ursula and Croix finally showed up and by then the two girls had already gotten all their tears out and were left with very puffy, red eyes. The professors were both very concerned and after some convincing from Akko, Diana decided to let Ursula in on the situation as well. 

The woman’s reaction was pretty similar to Akko’s and Croix’s in regards to her being just as devastated. Diana wasn’t too fond on the idea of telling Ursula at first, but she figured four heads were better than three when working towards a cure for the incurable. Maybe things would work out with a little more help. 

Was it wrong for her to have just a tiny bit of hope left?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “No one understands anything about me.
> 
> What are you, stupid?! Of course no one understands! No one could possibly understand!  
> The only person who can sympathise with you and understand you, is you.  
> So, be good to yourself.
> 
> Finding someone who wants to understand you, isn’t that what it’s about? To feel loved?”
> 
> ^^^The above is a quote from Neon Genesis Evangelion. I slipped a little modified piece of it into this chapter.  
> If you have to do one thing in your life, you have to watch Neon Genesis Evangelion. You won’t ever fully understand yourself, others, or love unless you watch it. It’s time you people wake up and see the world as it should be.  
> I remember watching it the first time a few years ago. It seriously changed my life


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place a day after the last chapter :)

“Hey Akko! Wait up!” 

“Hm?” She stopped in the middle of the hallway and turned to see Lotte and Sucy walking towards her. “Oh hey guys, what’s up?”

“What do you mean what’s up? We’ve been trying to talk to you all morning…” Sucy said while gritting her teeth.

“What for?”

Her two roommates gave each other a look before answering. “You came home really late last night, went straight to bed, then slept until noon. We just wanna know if you’re alright,” Lotte explained gently.

“Plus you’ve had a really serious face on ever since you woke up. It’s been kind of hard to approach you,” Sucy added in.

“Oh…” Akko felt bad at that. She hadn’t realized that she had been acting that suspicious. “Sorry guys, I didn’t mean to worry you. There’s just been a lot on my mind since yesterday.”

“That’s another thing we wanted to ask you about,” Lotte said nervously. “You did mention to us that you were going to confess to Diana yesterday, right?… How did it go?”

“Ahhhh.” Had yesterday even happened? It was all such a rush that Akko barely even had time to register half of it into her brain. She was still having trouble believing in everything that went down. Confessing to Diana, Diana confessing to her, and then Diana telling her that she was going to die soon… All these bombshells were making her brain go into maximum overdrive. “Wellllll it’s kind of a long story," she explained. "I can’t exactly tell you all the details about it quite yet.”

“That’s ok! We have all day to hear about it, right Sucy?” The blonde girl said innocently. She obviously wasn’t taking the hint that Akko really didn’t feel like recounting the events of yesterday to the two of them at the moment.

Sucy seemed to catch the vibe though. She could actually be surprisingly considerate when she needed to be. “It’s alright if you don’t tell us the whole story, but Lotte here really wants to know if you at least managed to tell Diana how you feel. She wouldn’t stop talking about it last night.”

Akko breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh if it’s just that, then I think I can answer it. To make things simple, yes I did tell Diana that I liked her in that way.”

“And what did she say?!!” Lotte pressed.

Remembering how bold her confession had been last night made her blush. “She said…that she likes me in that way too…” she revealed bashfully.

“Oh Akko!” The Finnish witch jumped up and hugged her. “We’re so happy for you two! I just knew it would happen eventually!”

_Well I’m glad you thought so Lotte haha… Because I sure didn’t think I would ever get this lucky,_ Akko thought. The words Diana had said to that night replayed over and over again in her head, making every other memory in her life seem unimportant in comparison. 

“So are you guys dating now or what?” Sucy asked while tugging on her sleeve.

“Yeah! We ar-” _Wait a second… Are we?_ Akko stopped herself. Never in that whole fiasco yesterday had either of them established that they were, in fact, dating. They made their feelings clear for each other, sure, but that didn’t necessarily mean that they were now dating. Diana _had_ persistently insisted that she didn’t want to date because it would only hurt Akko, but at the end of the day she hadn’t exactly said no either…

“Uhmmmm. Actually I’m not sure if we are,” Akko replied while scratching the back of her head.

“Huh?” Her two friends said simultaneously. “How could you not be sure?”

“I don’t really know…”

“Akko, this is a yes or no question. ‘Maybe’ isn’t really an answer choice here,” Sucy hissed.

“I know, I know! It’s just… a lot happened yesterday and whether or not Diana and I became a couple wasn’t really a big concern of mine at the time.” 

Lotte raised an eyebrow. “I’m very confused…”

“Well, imagine how I feel,” Akko sighed. “Sorry guys, but if you really want an answer to that question, why don’t you try asking Diana?”

“And what do you think she’ll say?” asked Sucy.

“Honestly… She’d probably ask you to ask me, then I’d ask you to ask her again, then we’d all just go in this big confusing loop.”

Lotte was beginning to stare very hard at her face and Sucy looked like she wasn’t very interested in the conversation anymore. “Ok… so what’s the answer?” Lotte tried again.

Akko blinked. She honestly had no idea what their relationship status was and she didn’t want to answer with the wrong thing and risk Diana getting angry with her. She decided it was best to confront the problem now. “I shall get back to you on that!” she said as she marched off in the opposite direction.

“Wh- Akko?! Where are you going?”

“I’m gonna go visit Diana. Maybe she’ll clear things up a bit? Hopefully she’s in a good mood after everything that happened yesterday,” she mumbled that last part to herself. “I promise I’ll let you guys know later!”

Akko ran off to East dormitories without even waiting to hear a response from her roommates. Not that she wanted to be rude to them, she was just really excited to see Diana again after last night. The girl was the only thing that had been occupying her mind since yesterday. It would do the both of them some good to have a talk with each other when their heads weren’t muddled up with mushy emotions. 

Frankly though, Akko had no idea what emotion she should be feeling as of now. She _should_ be ecstatic about the fact that she was finally able to grow some balls and confess to Diana and even more thrilled to learn that the girl had felt the same way all along. She almost couldn’t believe her ears when Diana had said that one small word: _love_. It had sent her to the moon and back.

On the other side of the coin, however, lied the conspicuous problem: Diana’s disastrous situation. Akko almost didn’t believe it at first, but when she saw the look on her friend’s face, she knew that there was no way she was making it up. It was by far, one of the worst feelings that she had ever felt in her life. 

She noticed that Diana had been getting abnormally sick more and more often, but she never imagined that it was because of some kind of incurable ancient disease. Akko was worried enough about the girl already. She had no idea how she was going to handle herself when her friend's sickness would inevitably progress into it’s worse stages. She didn’t know if she had it in her anymore to pretend that everything was going to be alright. Yesterday she had pretended to be optimistic about finding a cure but in reality, what would she be able do? If both Diana and Professor Croix couldn’t find anything out about a cure, then how was Akko supposed to do anything about it? She could barely even cast a normal spell without straining herself.

The Japanese witch drooped her head just as she reached the blue team’s door. _Maybe overthinking about this stuff wasn’t such a great idea before talking to Diana,_ she reprimanded herself. _Hopefully she’s feeling a bit better today._ She took a deep breath before knocking on the door. “Hey Diana, it’s me. Can I talk to you for a sec?”

It took just a few seconds before the door opened and Akko was once again blinded by her British friend’s effortless beauty. “Ah good afternoon Akko. Come in.” The girl's eyes were still a bit puffy from all the crying yesterday, but at least she was smiling.

Akko did as instructed and took a seat on one of the small sofas in the middle of the room. She often forgot that Diana and her roommates lived in a suite that was much more spacious than most of the other common rooms. Everyone speculated that the Luna Nova staff only gave the more luxurious rooms to witches that had certain noble family qualifications. It had bugged Akko at first because she didn’t really understand the older traditions in the magic world and what a big deal it was to be a descendant of a witch family, considering them to all be extremely uptight or spoiled. Boy, was she mistaken. There was _a lot_ about witch stuff that she had been regretfully ignorant of in the past.

“Would you like some tea? I was just about to have some Earl Grey myself,” Diana asked.

“Oh! Yes please,” Akko answered politely.

“What would you like in it?”

“A lot of milk and two sugars.”

“Coming right up.”

She sat quietly in her seat as she waited for Diana to brew the tea. The blonde had her back turned during the entire process, so Akko was able to take the rare opportunity to watch the girl without being noticed. Something about the way she moved was just so enticing to watch. The girl's posture and the way she carried herself… it made Akko’s heart flutter. Every noble young lady was probably taught to move like that at a young age, but that didn’t matter. Diana was the only person she would ever consider swooning over for their etiquette. Everything about the girl was just so graceful.

Her view lazily drifted towards Diana’s fingers while she stirred the tea. So pale and delicate. They were so close that she could almost grab them and hold them tight between her own fingers. The thought of one day not being able to reach out to touch Diana or even admire her while she did simple tasks like these only made Akko sadder about this whole situation.

A small chuckle from the heiress broke her from her short daydream. “A lot of milk and two sugars,” the girl repeated in an amusing tone. “A childish blend, but it’s so like you, Akko.”

“Hey! I can’t help it if I like sweet things,” she retorted while accepting the tea from her friend. “Hannah and Barbara aren’t here?”

The girl sat down on the sofa across from her and gently blew on her tea. “I believe they are visiting home for the weekend. They should be back on Monday. Now, what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?” 

Akko nervously sipped her tea. “Oh uhh. How did you sleep last night?”

“Not very well, I’m afraid,” Diana admitted while looking away. “There was a lot I needed to think about. I assume your night wasn’t very pleasant either?”

Akko shook her head. “Yeah. It was… definitely a lot to take in.”

“I’m sure.” 

“Oh yeah and about yesterday.” She clumsily fumbled with her fingers. “Are we like, dating now?”

“Eh?” Diana blinked as if not understanding the question. 

“I mean, uh, we both said we liked each other and stuff, but by the end of the night it wasn’t very clear whether or not we’re like, official.”

The blonde raised her eyebrows. “I mean-If you’re fine with my circumstances-”

“Yes!” Akko blurted out. “Of course I’m fine with them!”

Diana cleared her throat and continued. “Well then if it pleases you, we can label ourselves to be ‘dating’.”

Akko internally celebrated. This was her first time being in a relationship with anybody, let alone the prettiest girl in probably all of England. The only response she could muster was an enthusiastic head nod.

“So what’s your plan?” Diana asked bluntly.

“Huh? My plan?” 

“If you intend to ‘date’ me, I can assure you that it won’t last for very long if we don’t find a cure for Salander’s Affliction soon. And I believe I recall you saying yesterday that you weren’t going to let me die… A good step towards that statement would probably be spending time looking for a cure,” Diana explained in an unusually cold tone.

“Oh… that plan.” Akko fell silent and dropped her gaze to the floor.

It was clear that Diana instantly regretted her sudden burst of pessimism. She quickly moved over to the other sofa and put her hand on her friend’s shoulder. “I’m- I’m so sorry, Akko! I don’t mean to push anything onto you. Forget about what I just said, I didn’t intend to take my frustrations out on you like that.”

The Japanese witch shook her head. “No it’s okay Diana. You have every right to be unreasonable, I completely understand.” She paused when she felt her voice break. “The truth is, I’m scared out of my mind. I’ve never had to deal with a problem as serious as this before. I tried not to think about what you said might happen to you but… I’m just really really scared that things are gonna get worse and I won’t know how to handle it.”

“Akko…” Diana sighed and leaned her head onto her friend’s shoulder. “I don’t know what to do either. Trust me, I’m just as scared as you are.”

“It’s not fair. Why you? Out of everyone, why does this have to happen to you?” Akko asked quietly. “You don’t deserve any of this. All you ever do is think about other people and how you can help them… I don’t understand why…”

The two sat side by side, soaking in each others warmth and company while fully coming to terms of what a catastrophe their journey together was bound to be. Neither of them said a word.

Suddenly, something inside Akko clicked. She stood up hastily, startling Diana from her comfortable position. “Ya know what I just realized?” 

“What is it?” The girl asked wearily.

“If I learned anything here at Luna Nova, it’s that I have to work hard and believe in myself to become a great witch like Chariot! My magic still isn’t perfect yet, but it’s definitely improving. I never gave up on that dream because I just kept telling myself that a believing heart is my magic. Soooo what makes your situation any different?! If we set our minds to it, we can find you a cure for Salaryman Affliction, or whatever it’s called, in no time!” Akko grabbed her friend’s hands and pulled her off the couch. “Understood Diana?!”

“Y-yes?” The girl replied, obviously a little surprised at the unexpected enthusiasm from the previously brooding witch.

Akko smiled. “Repeat after me: A believing heart is my magic!”

Diana paused for a split second before letting out a short laugh. “A believing heart is my magic,” she said with a small smile.

“There we go! It’s much better when we’re both positive,” she giggled.

“Yes, I suppose you’re right.”

“Don’t you worry Diana, I’ll get started with research for Salamander Affliction right now! You just tell me what I need to do and I’ll do it!” 

The British witch rolled her eyes playfully. “Well, a good start would probably be getting the name of the illness correct.”

“What? It’s not called Cell commander Affliction?”

“No, I’m afraid not. It’s actual name is Salander’s Affliction.”

“Riiiiight, I knew that,” Akko waved her hand teasingly. “So what are the symptoms? Like what should I expect when, uhm, you start showing them more evidently.”

“Hold on one moment.” Diana walked over to her desk, picked up a few pieces of paper that were stapled together and gave them to Akko. “This is a collection of all the information that exists so far about the illness. I made you an extra copy in case you want to keep it.”

_Oh wow, she’s prepared as always._ Akko accepted the paper gratefully and gave it a quick look over. “Geez Diana. There’s a lot of really bad stuff in here.” She read through the list of symptoms out loud. “Random spurts of gradually worsening: extremely high fever, sore throat, congestion, chesty cough, waves of nausea, vomiting, chills and aches-” 

“Pretty terrifying isn’t it?” Diana stated weakly. She was looking down and holding on tightly to the rims of her skirt. 

Of course it was terrifying! Akko was barely even able to contain her worries when the symptoms were minor. She bit her lip and tried to sound optimistic for the sake of her friend. “Yeah, but you shouldn’t worry about it Diana! You’re super tough, I know you can handle it.”

The girl smiled politely. “We’ll see.” She walked over to her desk and sat down. “I’m sorry to cut our meeting so short, but I’d really like to continue on with my research for today.”

“Oh…” Akko twiddled her thumbs. “Do you mind if I stay and help? I promise I’ll be extra quiet! You won’t even know I’m here.”

“Are you sure?” Diana hesitated, slightly taken aback. “If you insist, then yes. I’d like it very much if you stayed…”

“Sure!” She grinned back. Now was as good a time as any to start educating herself on the disease. Once she learned the basic concepts of it, then she could really start getting serious. People often forgot that when Akko really set her mind to something, she would actually end up getting results. This was one of those times when she knew she had to put every ounce of her being into finding a cure. After all, nothing was impossible.

She walked over to a large stack of books and picked out a few that were related to ancient healing magic techniques. As she read on, she was surprised to find that the things she had briefly remembered learning in class were now coming in handy, given that most of the texts were relatively difficult to understand.

“We can break for dinner in about 4 hours. Think you can hang in there for that long?” Diana called out from behind her bookshelf.

Akko gave the girl a thumbs up even though she knew she couldn’t see it. “Leave it to me!” She was pleased to hear a soft chuckle in response.


	16. Chapter 16

“Nrghhhhhh”

“Something the matter Akko?” Diana asked warily.

Akko drew her lips into a pout. “Finnellan busted me again for not paying attention in her class.” 

“Oh? And what were you doing if you weren’t paying attention.”

“I was reading that new medical textbook you gave me the other day,” she explained while angrily shoving a spoon full of soup into her mouth. “Man, that lady sure has it out for me. It’s like she has super senses when it comes to me slacking off.”

The heiress looked a bit conflicted after hearing her answer. “Akko, I appreciate your determination to help me, but you can’t just abandon your schoolwork like that. No more reading in class, promise?”

It was hard for Akko to resist the girl when she had asked so sweetly. “Fiiine, whatever you say.”

 

It had been a little over a week since the two had officially began to date and Akko found herself becoming happier with every passing day. They haven’t had many opportunities to do any ‘coupley’ things unfortunately, but she didn’t mind at all. She didn’t want to rush things between them and it was safe to say that Diana was probably more than a little preoccupied at the moment with her life and death situation to even think about furthering their relationship in that sense.

Ironically, the pair had been spending a lot more time in each other’s company now that they were both working together to find a cure for Salander's Affliction. Akko spent almost every second outside of class in the library with Diana. It was somehow relaxing, being able to sit quietly next to the blonde while she lost herself in those books.

Today was just like every other day in the past week. Go to classes, then go to the library and do research. At the moment, however, Akko and Diana were having dinner with their usual crowd: all the witches from the red, blue, and green team. 

 

“Oh Akko that reminds me,” Amanda began slyly. “I’ve noticed recently that you’ve been hanging out with Diana in the library. Did you hit your head maybe? Something must be up if _you’re_ going to the library. The last time I saw you set foot in there was last summer when you broke the Horologium Chamber.”

_Oh you have no idea…_ Akko looked over to Diana for a reaction, but the girl just sipped her tea quietly, avoiding the confrontation in its entirety. “Haha," she stuck her tongue out. "Very funny Amanda. I’d like to see you even try and sit down in the library for once in your life.”

The American witch smirked. “Hey, hey relax. I was just wondering if you were getting tutored or something. God knows you need it.”

Akko grit her teeth. “No, I’m just helping Diana do some research is all.”

“ _You_? Helping _Diana_ with research? There’s no way! Quit joking around!” Amanda laughed. “Now why are you really spending time with her? It’s kinda weird. Are you blackmailing the poor girl or something?” She turned to heiress. “Diana, blink twice if Akko is holding you captive.”

At this point the whole table was watching the back and forth interaction between the two with amused faces, as if it was some kind of comedy act. Normally she found Amanda’s teasing to be appropriately funny and she knew that it was all just a joke, but Akko was getting genuinely annoyed about this specific topic. She crossed her arms grumpily. “What’s wrong if I’m spending time with Diana! It’s only natural now that we’re dating!”

“...........huh?” Amanda’s jaw dropped to the floor.

_Oh shit._ Her stomach plummeted. She could feel everyone’s eyes on her as soon as the sentence had left her mouth. She still had no idea if Diana wanted to keep their relationship a secret or not. If not, then she was definitely going to be in big trouble with the girl. This was bad, even for her usual screw ups

She looked over to the blonde, praying that she wasn’t too furious with Akko’s inability to keep her mouth shut about private things. Unfortunately, Diana was stuck frozen in place, probably from shock just like the rest of the group sitting at their table. Even Jasminka had stopped eating.

“You two are… dating?” The redhead asked slowly.

Neither of the girls in question responded. They were locked in a panicked gaze with each other, both not knowing what to say.

“I totally called it,” Akko heard Sucy whisper to Lotte. Well at least she knew her roommates were supportive. 2 out of 7 so far. Actually, more like 5 out of 7 considering Amanda, Jasminka, and Constanze were pretty accepting to whatever. Akko’s real concern was Hannah and Barbara because honestly, who knew what their opinion was about this topic?

As if on cue, both of Diana’s roommates rapidly shot up from their chairs. “I- uh- I have some homework that I need to do!” Hannah stuttered.

“Uhm! Oh yeah! Me too!” Barbara added in before they both powerwalked uncomfortably out of the cafeteria.

Diana got up immediately and excused herself. “Hannah! Barbara! Wait a second!” She called out after them with a worried look on her face.

Akko was beginning to break out into a cold sweat. Now had been the absolute worst time to accidentally break the news to everyone about their private relationship. Fixing it was certainly not going to be easy. “I’m really sorry Diana! I didn’t mean to say it, it just slipped out!” She explained to the girl before she could go out of earshot.

Diana only glanced back and gave a forced, thin-lipped smile in response before disappearing down the hallway, presumably to have a talk with her roommates.

_Oh dear god, I really blew it big this time. She’s totally pissed at me!_ Akko could feel her soul leaving her body and she was too embarrassed at the moment to do anything except stare into space. 

The awkward silence between the remaining 6 witches was broken by the sound of Amanda’s cheerful laughing. “Oh wow! Congratulations Akko! Who knew a dunce like you could get a hot girlfriend like Diana!” the girl exclaimed heartily while patting her on the back.

“Thanks, but she might not be my girlfriend anymore after the stunt i just pulled.” Akko responded hollowly.

“Huh. Whaddaya mean?”

“You saw what just happened! Diana clearly wasn’t ready to tell anybody about us yet, especially not Hannah and Barbara! And I just went ahead and blurted it out in front of all of you! I seriously screwed myself.”

“Heyy don’t worry about it,” the American said casually. “I doubt she’d break up with you for something stupid like that.”

“Actually,” Lotte said, finally speaking up. “Akko has a point, Amanda. Diana comes from a highly prestigious family that’s not only famous throughout the magic world, but also throughout all of England. People like that have values that are totally different from the general population. I’m sure she has certain expectations to uphold as the heir to the Cavendish house. It’s going to be very difficult, even for her, to get people of that nature to overlook a relationship between two girls.”

A bead of sweat dripped down the side of Amanda’s face as the realization suddenly hit her. “Oh fuck, you might be right.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “I’m sorry for teasing you like that, Akko. I didn’t expect something like this to happen.”

The Japanese witch sighed and slumped back down into her chair. “Nah it’s not your fault. I should have been more cautious and just kept my big mouth shut.”

Lotte gave her a comforting smile. “Cheer up Akko. Just give it some time. Hannah and Barbara will come around eventually.”

“You think so?”

“Probably,” Sucy answered. “And if not, I can just slip some memory loss potion into their tea when they’re not looking.”

Akko laughed. “Thanks you guys.” She felt a slight tug on her sleeve and looked down. “Constanze?”

The small girl gave her a big double thumbs up and handed her chalkboard with the writing, “Congratulations on your new relationship. We’ll all be cheering for the two of you!”

“You can have the rest of my chips if it makes you feel any better,” Jasminka said while holding out the offer in her hand.

“You guyyys,” Akko said with a trembling voice and teary eyes. “You’re all the best!” She pulled Constanze and Jasminka into a hug.

“Of course!” Amanda said while joining in on the embrace. “We’re super excited that you and Diana grew some balls and finally made it official after all that obvious flirting!”

The brunette cringed. “Were we really that obvious…”

“Yup!”

She almost fell off of her chair when Lotte and Sucy added themselves to the already overcrowded group hug. “I’m so happy for you two, Akko!” Lotte cheered excitedly. “I can’t wait until you start getting into all the gooey romantic stuff!”

“Huh? No way.” Sucy hissed. “That’s gross, keep it to yourselves.”

“Well, I for one am reeeeally excited to see you guys make out or something. I can’t imagine Diana ever being the lovey-dovey type. That’ll be something I can laugh my ass off at!” joked Amanda.

Akko laughed cheerfully. _Man, these guys really are the best. They make me feel like this is all going to go so smoothly._ She shook her head. _Too bad they have no clue what Diana’s dealing with right now…_

 

\--------------

 

Diana restlessly paced back and forth outside of the east dormitories. Coming up with an acceptable explanation for her roommates was not going to be easy at all. 

This was certainly not a problem she had anticipated running into so early into her new relationship. She was planning on breaking the news to Hannah and Barbara _much_ later. It had only been a week since her and Akko had started going out officially. It was still far too soon for her to risk destroying her upheld image with the news that she was dating another girl. Obviously not everybody shared the same mindset about that kind of thing.

For example, if one of the teachers besides Professor Ursula found out, Diana would probably be exposed immediately and her reputation would be tarnished for the rest of her time at Luna Nova. That was the last thing that she wanted. 

Something like this required delicacy and time, both of which had been thrown out the window as soon as Akko had let those words slip out of her mouth in front of all their friends. Diana could only be grateful that it wasn’t in front of anyone of importance. Not that her friends were unimportant; it’s just that she didn’t necessarily have to worry about them looking down on her for something like this. 

However, Hannah and Barbara were a completely different story. They were technically raised up the same way as Diana, meaning that they were both legitimate English aristocrats. They were taught everything about how to be a proper lady and all the rights and wrongs of society. It wasn’t explicitly stated that a girl falling in love with another girl was wrong, but it definitely wasn’t a celebrated practice. 

She just had to hope that if they were truly her best friends, then they would understand. Diana slowly walked over to her room’s door and opened it with caution. “I’m coming in,” she announced. To her surprise, Hannah and Barbara were already waiting for her on the couch in the middle of the room. No one made a sound for the longest time before Diana decided to break the awkward atmosphere by brewing them all some tea. 

“Are you two disappointed in me?” She asked once she finished pouring them all a cup.

A look of guilt spread across Hannah’s face. “No, I wouldn’t say that.”

“It’s just that we’re a little… unsettled by the news,” Barbara finished.

Diana tried very hard to keep a straight face despite how hurt she felt after that statement. “And why is it that you feel so _unsettled_?” 

“Oh come on now, you must know!” Hannah raised her voice. “You’re dating Akko?! For how long has this been going on?!”

“Hannah and I noticed that you’ve been spending more and more time with her lately. We wanted to ask you but… we didn’t want you to get mad at us,” Barbara added nervously.

_They noticed? My word, I wonder how obvious Akko and I were being if so many people caught onto our feelings even before we did._ “We’ve only started going out since last week,” Diana said, answering Hannah’s question. “Around the time when I told you I was going with Professor Ursula to visit Croix.”

“Who confessed to who?” Hannah asked angrily.

Diana felt her eyebrow twitch. “Is that really a question that matters?” Neither of her roommates let up their pressing glare. They clearly wanted some answers and not even Diana Cavendish herself was going to get in their way. She sighed defeatedly. “If you must know, Akko confessed first and I told her that the feeling was mutual and we went from there.”

The two made not effort to hide the look of shock on their faces. “No way… How long have you liked her for?” asked Barbara.

She was extremely uncomfortable discussing such private things with her two friends, but she didn’t really have much of a choice. She had to tell them everything if they were going to be more empathetic towards her decisions. “Sometime after we defeated the magic missile.”

“You’ve liked her for that long?” Barbara asked solemnly.

Hannah tightened her fists in her lap. “You could have told us about this sooner!”

“Why? So you can be disgusted with me like you are now?” Diana clicked her tongue. 

“We’re not disgusted!” They replied simultaneously.

Hannah bolted up. “We’re just worried about you, Diana! What about your aristocratic status?! Surely if your relationship with Akko gets anymore serious it’ll damage your public image and the Cavendish name. I’m convinced that everyone in Luna Nova will be fine with it, but what about in the business world? Who knows what people will say about you.”

Diana dropped her gaze onto the carpet. “I know… I’m having trouble coming to terms with it myself. It’s not like this was an easy decision for me to make. I didn’t ask to feel this way.”

“What about the Cavendish name? What are you going to do about that?” Barbara asked.

“Make no mistake girls,” Diana said while keeping her dignified posture. “Everything I’ve done so far in my life has been for the house of Cavendish. My entire existence is and always will be for the sake of my family name. I don’t intend on abandoning that mindset.”

She placed her teacup down and looked at her friends sadly. “Obviously I don’t intend on going public with our relationship anytime soon. However, I cannot continue to ignore my true feelings any longer.” She began to think about how little time she had left to spend with Akko if their search for a cure failed. It saddened her and that was enough for her to know that she was making the right decision. “I want to start using my time more wisely. I want to do things that I never had the courage to do before.”

Hannah was slowly beginning to drop her hostile front. “Diana… we’re your best friends. Of course we’ll love you no matter what. I just wish you’d confide in us a little more.”

“We really do care about you. Whatever decisions you make, as long as you’re happy, we’ve decided to support you all the way!” Barbara said while nodding vigorously.

Something in Diana clicked and it was only now that she finally understood how much her two friends truly did care for her. Just like Akko, they saw her as a girl and as a friend instead of just a Cavendish. That’s all she could ever really ask for. “Girls I-”

She didn’t even get to finish her sentence before Hannah and Barbara ran up to her and wrapped her a in warm hug. Diana smiled at the sudden affectionate gesture and hugged them back. “Do you two have any problems that it’s Akko?”

“No of course not!” Hannah shouted. “We had Akko totally wrong before. She’s really an amazing person. I feel bad that we said all those mean things to her in the past.”

“It’s just hard to accept that anyone is good enough for you, Diana!” Barbara laughed.

“And if Akko breaks your heart, I’ll burn her at the stake.” Hannah deadpanned, sending all three of the girls into a giggling fit.

Diana put on a happy exterior for the rest of the night, but really her mind was anywhere else but the present. Now that dating Akko was no longer a secret between the three of them, she had one more thing that she was hiding from them: the fact that she was going to die. 

_If they made such a big deal out of this,_ Diana thought. _Imagine what they would do when they find out that I’m dying… How on earth am I going to tell them?_


	17. Chapter 17

The next day after school, instead of going to the library as usual, Diana stopped by her room first to organize some of the materials that she had been reading over. She was feeling a little off at the moment, considering that Akko hadn’t tried to speak to her at all during the day. She hoped the girl didn’t think that she was angry with her. _Hannah and Barbara did tell me that they went to apologize to Akko this morning and that it went well,_ Diana recalled. _Maybe I’ll find her later and clear things up myself._

She was currently in the middle of cleaning up her desk when she heard a knock and instantly knew who it was when a familiar greeting was called out from the other side of the door. “Diana… it’s me. Can I come in?”

_Akko? Geez can she read my mind or something?_ Diana dusted off her skirt before opening the door. “Hello Akko,” She stared at the array of items in her friend’s possession. “What do you have there?”

The girl grinned nervously while holding onto a bundle of flowers and a brown paper bag. “Uhm, I’m really sorry about telling our friends about us! It was an accident, I swear!” she apologized while bowing stiffly.

Diana didn’t know how to react to the girl’s thoughtful gesture. “It’s- it’s quite alright. It’s my fault for not telling you that I wanted to keep it private. As long as nobody else knows about us, then it’s fine.”

“You don’t want anybody to know?” Akko sounded hurt.

The blonde nodded solemnly. “I’m sorry if it bothers you, but in my position I can’t really risk something like this getting out into the public. You’re not something I’m ashamed of, It's just easier for me if I keep our relationship a secret for as long as I can.”

“Oh… I see.” 

She gestured for Akko to take a seat next to her, which the girl did hesitantly. Diana sighed and gently took her friend’s hand in her own as a poor attempt at comforting her. “You must have known that you were going to run into a lot of problems like this if you were going to be with me right? The people in my life won’t be as… accepting as the people in yours.”

Akko tightened her grip on Diana’s hand and looked her in the eyes. “Do you really have so little faith in everyone at Luna Nova? They all admire you! I’m sure something like this won’t change their opinion about you so easily.”

“Yes, I suppose you’re right about that.” Diana smiled. “But I’m just not ready to let anyone else know yet. You understand, don’t you?”

She watched as Akko mulled it over for a little while. “Hmmm. Yeahh I guess I do get where you’re coming from. It is a pretty big step after all. Especially in your position.”

“Thank you, Akko.”

The girl grinned. “No problem! Take as much time as you need!”

Diana winced at her friend's choice of words. _Time… huh? That’s one thing I’m sure I don’t have._

“Oh yeah!” Akko began again excitedly. “While I was down by the school grounds looking for flowers, I stopped by the forest and found a bunch of medicinal materials. I read in some book that combining certain ingredients can result in different areas of healing for the body. Do you want to try mixing them together to see if they have any affect on you?”

Diana’s heart welled up with affection at the girl’s thoughtfulness. “Actually, maybe for once we can take a break from all the reading we’ve been doing," she replied impulsively. "Is there anything in particular that you’d like to do today?” She knew they really shouldn’t be taking any breaks at all; every second counted and she was very aware of that. She had gotten too caught up in the moment of things, but it was now too late for her to take it back after seeing Akko’s excited reaction to the suggestion. Diana just couldn’t help herself around the girl.

“Really!?” Akko’s eyes shone with motivation. “Then meet me in the courtyard in 15 minutes. I have the perfect idea!” She almost ran out of the room before quickly turning back. “Oops almost forgot! These are for you!” She said while handing the bouquet of flowers over to Diana. 

Diana chuckled and took a good whiff of the arrangement. “They’re lovely. I’ll put them in a vase right away.” 

 

\-----------

 

“Tell me again why we have to do this in the courtyard?”

“I thought it’d be better for us if we got some fresh air after being holed up in the library all the time,” Akko replied while plopping down onto the grass.

“That’s true,” Diana sat down across from her. “Ok, so what do you have planned for us today?”

Akko smirked mischievously. “Prepare yourself for the fight of your life!” She pulled her entire collection of Chariot cards out of her pocket. “Bam!”

“How romantic…” Diana muttered sarcastically as she stared at the assortment of worn out cards that had been placed in front of her. “This is what you wanted to do with me so badly?”

“It’s been so long since I’ve actually played a match with an actual Chariot fan!” She put her hands together and begged. “C’mon Dianaaa. Pleaseee.”

The blonde folded her arms. “Very well then. But I'm afraid I don’t have any of my old cards anymore. I had to throw them all away when I was a child…”

Akko had forgotten how drastically different their childhoods had been. When she was growing up, she had always been encouraged to have fun and do the things that she liked, but she suspected that Diana had a very restricted upbringing. Being a fan of Shiny Chariot was probably one of the many things that the heiress had to keep a secret in order to be looked at favorably in the world of nobility.

“Hey, don’t worry about it!” Akko said cheerily, hoping to lighten the mood a little. “We can just use mine. I have a lot anyways!” 

Diana smiled and shuffled through the deck of cards, briefly looking over each of them. “I see you still have the Premium Chariot card that I gave you.”

“Of course! I think it’s my favorite one by far,” she answered while eagerly waiting for her friend to finish looking through the cards. “This is probably a stretch, but do you still remember how to play?”

“Hmmm. I might be a bit rusty, but I think I can manage.”

Akko could barely contain her excitement. “Great! Then let’s get started. Don’t expect me to go easy on you just because you’re my girlfriend!” 

_Wow this is the first time I actually get to use the word ‘girlfriend’,_ she blushed. _I wonder if Diana noticed._ She looked up at the girl and could very much confirm that Diana had definitely been affected by the phrase. 

“Th- the same goes for you!” Diana stuttered out. Her cheeks turned into a rosy pink as she looked away. 

_Agghhh!!! She’s too cute!_ Akko fought hard to contain her animilstic urges. _ONE HIT K-O!_

 

\------------

 

“I _cannot_ believe you won 2 out of 5 of the games! I’ve never lost a Shiny Chariot card match in my entire life!” Akko shouted. The sound carried out through the now empty courtyard.

Diana grinned proudly. “Now what was that again about not going easy on your girlfriend?” She said the last word with a hint of embarrassment. It was definitely going to take some time before the two of them got used to that word.

“I didn’t go easy on you! You’re just too good at everything you do,” Akko pouted.

Diana patted the girl’s shoulder in an attempt to calm her. “Well to be fair, you did end up winning 3 out of 5 games. Congratulations! You still managed to beat me overall.”

“Hmph, damn right I did.”

She had to roll her eyes at Akko’s competitiveness. “Ok, so what would you like to do now? Do you suppose we call it a day? Remember, we still need to make time for our schoolwork.”

“Yeah I guess so. I’ll walk you back to your room.” Akko got up and brushed off the grass from the bottom of her skirt.

Diana did the same and the two began walking in the direction of the east dormitories. The halls were dark and vacant considering that it was almost curfew. Everyone except for her and Akko were probably already back in their dorm rooms. It made her feel like they were the only two people left in the world. She didn’t know what it was, but she suddenly had the urge to ask a question that had been burning in the back of her mind for a while now. “Akko,” she whispered. “Do you mind if I ask you something?”

“Sure. Go ahead.”

The blonde bit her lip. “Uhm… When did you start to have feelings for me?”

“Oh! Uhhh.” Even though it was dark, it was easy to see that Akko was clearly very embarrassed by the question. “Wellll I think it was around the time when you said that you were quitting Luna Nova to become the head of your family. I remember being so angry at you for leaving and I had no idea why!” She laughed. “It’s pretty obvious why I was angry now, but back then I was totally clueless haha.”

“Ohhh so that’s why you went as far to come to my home uninvited. I see, it all makes sense now,” Diana stated jokingly.

Akko playfully jabbed her friend in the ribs. “So how bout you? When did you start to like me?”

Now it was Diana’s turn to be embarrassed. She had never intended to tell anyone about what led her to realizing her feelings for the clumsy girl. “You’re going to think I’m weird…”

“No I won’t! C’mon Diana pleaseeeee. It’s only fair since I told you my side of the story,” she begged.

“...Very well.” She sighed and regretted getting herself into this situation. “When you fell off of your broom during the missile crisis, I almost lost my mind in those small seconds when I realized that I couldn’t get to you. For some reason in the back of my head I kept thinking ‘what if I never get to hear her voice again’ and I couldn’t stand it. I don’t think I’ve ever felt something like that in my life. Thank the Nines that the Shooting Star Broom was there to catch you.” Diana took a deep breath and continued. “And don’t tell anyone, but I had nightmares about it for nearly a month after it had happened.”

“A month?!” Akko was stunned.

“Yes… the same scene would just replay of you falling over and over again and I would keep trying to catch you. That’s probably when I realized just how much you really meant to me, Akko.”

The Japanese witch furrowed her brows in thought. “Yeah I think I know what you mean. The thought of losing you right now to Salander’s Affliction and not being able to do anything about it… It’s driving me nuts. I still can’t believe any of this is real.”

“Akko…This is what i was worried about. I don’t want you to be unhappy because of me. If any of this becomes too much for you, you can always-”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Akko interrupted sternly. “And I’m definitely not giving up either. It’s still only the beginning of our search.”

Diana nodded slowly. “But I want you to keep in mind that if things don’t go as planned… I don’t want you to torture yourself over it. Not that I want you to forget about me; I just want you to live your life with happiness. And remember that whatever happens tomorrow, at least we’ve had today.” She said the last part softly, almost sadly.

Akko mulled over the request. “Fine, but you have to do something for me too.”

“What’s that?”

“Promise me that you’ll fight your hardest and you won’t give up till the very end.”

“...I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you noticed, the last quote “whatever happens tomorrow, we’ve had today” is from the 2011 film, One Day :))))


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chronologically, this chapter takes place two months after the last chapter. Also prepare urself for angst :) please don’t hate me

Every day for the following two months, Diana and Akko spent almost every spare second they had in each other’s company. Not in a ‘coupley’ kind of way. It was more of like a ‘read through medical textbooks in the library until their eyes burned’ sort of way. 

Of course, they still spent their mealtimes eating with all of their friends in the cafeteria, where they were constantly teased for being ‘glued to the hip’ during their honeymoon phase. Diana had instructed Akko to keep her illness a secret for a bit longer, so the poor girl just had to sit there grudgingly while Amanda went full roast mode on her.

Their relationship had progressed into frequent hand holding under the library table and long hugs to recharge each other after lengthy days of studying. The two never dared to go any further than that for a number or reasons. Probably the biggest reason was because they were just way too busy to even consider doing anything else as a couple. They had much more important things that they needed to focus on.

That’s not to say they hadn’t progressed at all, though. After spending so much time with Akko, Diana was satisfied to say that she was very comfortable with the girl now. She became mostly used to the way the brunette liked to have a lot of contact between the two of them at all times. It no longer bothered her whenever Akko grabbed her hand out of the blue or whenever she pressed their cheeks together during their hugs. The only basic thing that the two hadn’t done so far, was share their first kiss. 

And they were by no means that one annoying couple that obsessed over each other and made all their friends uncomfortable with their public displays of affection. They were pretty normal in terms of behavior, it was only in private when they really showed their true feelings towards each other. 

Diana was, to say in the least, very happy with how far they’ve come. In both their findings for Salander’s Affliction, and in their relationship. 

 

“You’ve been really busy lately, huh, Diana?” Barbara asked. Currently, all three members of the blue team were walking side by side on their way to another typical first period class in the morning. 

“Yeah. When are you gonna tell us about this super secret project that you and Akko have been working on?” Hannah asked while nudging the girl in the arm.

“Soon enough,” Diana explained. “Though I can promise you that you won’t be very happy to find out what it is.”

Hannah slouched her shoulders. “Maann. That makes me even more curious as to what it is now.”

_It’s only a matter of time now anyways._ She was still trying to figure out how she could break the news to everyone without alarming them too much. _How would the staff at Luna Nova even react? I wonder if the Headmistress would still let me stay here._

Diana’s ears suddenly caught on to the sound of footsteps gradually coming up from behind her, and as they got closer she realized that the footsteps had started to turn into a running pace. She turned around to see who would be running in the hall at 8 in the morning. 

“Dianaaaa~” 

She smiled warmly at the immediate recognition. _Of course it’s her, who else would do something like this?_ “Oh, good morning Akko. Energetic today aren’t we?” 

“Sorry, no time to talk! I’m almost late!” Akko continued her mad dash and stopped briefly beside Diana to give her a little kiss on the cheek before running off again. “Good luck in class! See you next period!” 

Diana stood completely flustered as she watched the girl’s figure disappear behind the next turn in the hallway. That was the first time either of them had kissed the other on the cheek. She was definitely not expecting such a sweet display so early in the morning. She looked over to Hannah and Barbara, who were giving each other a knowing grin. They didn’t say anything about it on the remainder of their walk to class and they didn’t need to. Diana was already burning with embarrassment. 

At least she thought it was embarrassment. But the strange burning feeling lingered with her for the entire duration of her morning class. She just felt… off. In fact, she’d felt off ever since she had gotten up this morning, but only really noticed it until now. Diana hoped it wasn’t what she thought it was.

 

\-----------

 

“Miss Kagari! Please keep your eyes on the board!” 

“Y-Yes ma’am!” Akko’s eyes quickly shot away from the window. Daydreaming was becoming a common thing for her now. There were a lot of things weighing on her mind. Some good, some bad. Mostly all of it was related to Diana.

Like how this morning she had actually gone up to the girl and impulsively kissed her on the cheek. She just couldn’t help herself!

Of course, she had been careful not to let anyone see them. She was only brave enough to pull a bold move like that because she had double checked before-hand to make sure that there was no one other than Hannah and Barbara in the hallway. Diana would probably have gotten mad if she had done that in a more public place.

_Hmmm I wonder if she was okay with it? Maybe I should have asked her first before I kissed her on the cheek in front of Hannah and Barbara._ Akko shrugged. _Oh well, I’ll just ask her about it next period._

Their class schedules usually played out as the following:  
For first period, Diana had a class with Hannah and Barbara while Akko was stuck by herself in a different, boring philosophy of magic class that rarely anyone took. Second period was her favorite because it was the only class when she could sit together alone with her girlfriend, since none of their other friends were in that class. Third period was enjoyable too because all the witches from the red, blue and green team were reunited in the same class together. 

When the bell finally rung for the period to be over, Akko almost knocked down the rest of the girls in her row in a hurried attempt to leave the room. She was excited about seeing Diana again. Besides asking her about the kiss on the cheek, she wanted to tell the girl about some new materials she had stumbled upon yesterday night while cleaning the roof as punishment. In a particularly unkept section of the roof, she had found a bunch of weird looking mushrooms. After taking them to the ultimate mushroom expert for analyzation, Sucy had approved of them enthusiastically, stating that they might be good for healing. 

It was 10 minutes before Professor Badcock’s class was supposed to start and Akko was already the first one in the room. She greeted the old woman and took her usual seat in one of the middle rows. 

She waited patiently for Diana to show up. After 10, 5, and eventually 0 minutes before class started the girl still hadn’t made an appearance. It was certainly strange for the heiress to not come at least 5 minutes before class was supposed to start, much less to arrive late or not even come at all. The last time Diana had not shown up to class, it had been because of… Akko swallowed hard. She didn’t even want to _think_ of that possibility.

A few minutes into the period, the door slowly creaked open and a wave of relief swept over Akko when she saw Diana gracefully stride into the room. 

Professor Badcock momentarily looked up from her book and was shocked to see which one of her students had come in late. “D-Diana! Is there any reason as to why you are late to my class?”

“My apologies Professor,” she answered in a perfect manner. “I miscalculated the time it would take for me to get here from my last class.”

The woman adjusted her glasses. “I see. Please do not let it happen again. Go ahead and take your seat.”

The girl thanked her politely and walked over to where Akko had saved her a spot and sat down. Something about the girl’s air seemed a little different to Akko. She stared at Diana through her peripherals for a while, but she couldn’t quite place what it was about her that seemed peculiar.

She leaned in and whispered to her friend. “Hey, Diana. Is there something wrong?”

Before Diana had a chance to answer, Professor Badcock cleared her throat dramatically. “Miss Kagari! No talking in my class please!”

Akko grit her teeth. _Ugh not again. This is second time today!_ She waited a while for Badcock to start talking again before she allowed herself to glance over at her friend for an answer to her previous question. Diana met her eyes and smiled before placing her hand on the seating between them, an indication that she wanted to hold hands. 

_Welllll, I guess she’s ok then. Maybe I was overreacting._ Akko happily obliged to the blonde’s request and slowly placed her hand on top of Diana’s. She did her best not to notice it, but the girl’s hand was a bit warmer than usual today. 

_Maybe I’m just imagining it,_ Akko sighed and attempted to spend the rest of the period focusing on whatever Professor Badcock was trying to teach. No luck.

 

After second period ended, Akko figured she could finally get some speaking time in with Diana, even if it was just for the short duration of their walk to their next class. “Aren’t you coming Diana?” she asked, looking behind her.

The girl was lingering a little. “Actually, you can go on ahead Akko. I’m just going to use the restroom. Save me a seat ok?”

“Oh. Yeah ok, I’ll see you in class. Don’t be late again!” Akko said while turning away. _Ok… so it’s not just my imagination. She really is acting strange today._

She walked into her next class and took her usual seat between Lotte and Sucy, right above the row where the green team sat and right below the row where the blue team sat. All the witches in her friend group were present except for Diana, of course. Immediately, Akko could tell that Hannah and Barbara looked a little confused about their friend’s missing presence. It would only make sense for them to show up together since they were both coming from the same class.

Amanda swiveled around in her seat and held up a fist bump. “Yo Akko! How’s it going today?”

“Maan I’m pretty tired. How bout you?” She asked while happily returning the redhead’s fistbump.

“Same old same old. Everything’s sooo boring. I wish something interesting would happen for once,” Amanda replied while leaning back in her chair.

“Good morning Akko,” Barbara said from behind her. “Is Diana not with you today?”

Akko turned around and was met with Hannah and Barbara’s worried faces. “Morning you guys. She said she had to go to the bathroom. I’m sure she’ll be here soon.” She had said that last part mostly to reassure herself. So far, her gut feelings when it came to times when Diana had been acting suspicious were usually spot on. She just hoped that this time her gut would be wrong.

Akko could feel the back of her neck getting sweaty when she heard Hannah and Barbara whispering behind her. They were no doubt talking about how class was already starting and Diana still hadn’t bothered to make an appearance. 

She was late again.

This time it took a whole 15 minutes before Diana appeared in the doorway. _Oh geez,_ Akko thought. _Last period Badcock let her off pretty easily for being tardy, but now she has to face up to Finellan! That lady’s biggest pet peeve is lateness._

The whole class knowingly held their breath as soon as Finellan turned towards the late student with her hands on her hips. “Well, Diana. This is rare for you. Do you have a late pass?”

“No, I’m afraid I don’t Professor Finellan.”

“And why is that?” The woman asked, fully expecting to get a valid response.

However Diana gave no such thing. Much to the shock of everybody in the room, the star student of Luna Nova remained silent with her hands folded behind her back and her gaze fixed to the floor. It was probably the most unusual behavior that the heiress had ever displayed in public.

In that instance, Akko knew exactly what was happening. She wanted to do something, but she just couldn’t bring herself to make a scene in front of everybody during class. 

Finellan raised one of her eyebrows at the blonde’s bizarre actions, but ultimately said nothing about them. “Well anyways, go and sit down. I’ll look it over just this once, but only because this is the first time that you’ve been tardy.”

“Thank you Professor.” Diana gave a curt nod before taking a seat between her roomates. Akko didn’t want to risk drawing attention to herself by turning around and looking at the girl to see if she was alright, so she remained still. She just had to hope that Hannah and Barbara wouldn’t notice anything suspicious about their friend.

About 20 minutes later, the entire classroom fell silent in concentration while doing a quiz that Finellan had handed out. It was very faint, but amidst all the frantic pencil scribbling, Akko’s ears caught onto a very odd sound. _What is that? Is that Diana’s breathing?_ She listened closely. _It sounds… a little labored. It’s uneven too. Does nobody else hear this?!_

She gave into her better judgement and glanced over her shoulder to take a look at the girl. _Oh shit._ Just as Akko had feared, the girl looked like she was about to pass out. Diana’s normally porcelain cheeks were flushed into a bright pink, while her eyebrows were drawn together in a knot. Her hands were trembling slightly and she was breathing unrhythmically. 

Akko quickly snapped her head back to face the front of the room. Panic set in for her at the realization that Diana was probably going to have an episode in front of all these people if she didn’t get out of here soon. _Shit! Why didn’t she stay in bed today!? Why didn’t she say anything to me about it last period?! Ugh, Diana's always too proud for her own good!!_

She clenched her jaw and looked at the clock on the wall. _Just 10 more minutes before class is over. Then I’m straight away dragging that idiot to the nurse’s office._ She just prayed that said idiot could hold out for that long.

Right as the bell rang, Akko shot up out of her seat. “Diana, I have something I want to show you! Come with me, quick!” She tried not to make it too obvious, but she needed to get the girl out of here as soon as possible. Thankfully, Diana nodded her head and began to follow after her with no complaints. She was probably reaching her limits. 

The brunette didn’t even think to look back as she focused herself on getting out of the room, but she stopped in her tracks when she heard a series of coughs from behind her.

Akko turned around just in time to see Diana fall onto her knees, still in the middle of the coughing fit while leaning onto one of the desks for support. Her whole body was rattling.

“Diana! What’s wrong?!” Her roomates quickly rushed to both sides of her. Hannah reached out and felt the girl’s forehead. “She’s burning up!”

The whole class, including Professor Finellan, slowly began to form a crowd around Diana, who had just promptly passed out. 

“Somebody get the nurse!” Barbara shouted. 

“I’m on it!” Amanda yelled back as she bolted out of the classroom.

Akko’s stiff legs finally decided to unlock after her brain had recovered from the initial terror. She pushed her way through the concerned crowd and clumsily knelt beside the unconcious girl. “Diana! Hang in there Diana!” She called out, hoping the blonde could somewhat hear her. “Amanda’s getting the nurse right now! Just hang in there, okay!?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok fair warning, I’m SUCH an asshole to Diana while I was writing this fic. I love her, but she’s gonna go thru some shit.  
> Also i s2g the amount of times I wrote the words “class, period, and seat” in this chapter made me wanna die.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place the day after the last chapter

Diana stood restlessly next to her room’s window. She just couldn’t bring herself to sit down. Her eyes were glazed over from the embarrassment she still felt from what had happened to her in class yesterday. 

Headmistress Holbrooke walked over to her and placed a comforting hand on her back. “Diana, maybe you should lie down while you wait. It’ll be better if you get some rest.”

“I’m fine. I can manage this much,” she answered curtly. She was a little uneasy with having so many teachers packed into her room. It’s not like she had asked for them to be here, but they were very insistent on waiting with her for Anna to show up.

Last night, when Diana had regained consciousness after fainting in class, it had become apparent to her that this incident wouldn’t be as easy as the other ones to cover up. A bunch of the professors had shown up to her room later that day, demanding answers as to why she had been getting ill so often. That was when she realized that there was no way she could hide her situation from the Luna Nova staff anymore. 

And so, she told them everything. She told them about Salander’s Affliction, her discussion with Croix about it and their attempts to find a cure. Everything that she had been holding back eventually came rushing out. As expected, the reactions from her professors were very sympathetic. After all, this was the last thing any of them had expected to hear from their most promising student. 

Much to her annoyance, Diana had been told that this morning, Luna Nova had contacted and informed the Cavendish household about what had happened to her yesterday and that her maid, Anna, was going to arrive at the academy in the evening to discuss a few things with her. Anna didn’t really give an exact reason for wanting to travel all the way here, but Diana had a pretty good idea of what the woman was trying to do. 

She was probably going to force Diana to quit school and have her return to the Cavendish mansion. The blonde let out a deep sigh. _Things are certainly going to get ugly from here on out._

Everyone in the room turned their heads when they heard the sound of the door opening. They had all been waiting patiently for Anna to arrive. Some of the professors present even cancelled their classes for the day just to be here. Diana really didn’t understand what the big deal was. Truthfully, the only people that needed to be present for this meeting was herself, Anna, and maybe the headmistress. It wasn’t necessary for half of the teacher population, including Professor Finellan, Badcock, Lukic, and Ursula to all be crowded into her room. _I can’t kick them out, though...They’re probably just worried about me._

“Sorry to make you wait, young mistress. I got here as soon as I could,” Anna announced as she closed the door behind her. “Lady Daryl said she also wanted to come, but I insisted that she shouldn’t trouble herself to that extent.”

Diana winced. “You told my Aunt about my illness?”

“Of course I did! She’s worried sick about you. You are her family after all.”

Despite past differences, she actually felt some sense of comfort from her Aunt. Her, Maril, and Merrill were the only family members she had left. Even back when they weren’t on good terms, it was very hard for Diana to pretend that it didn’t hurt when Daryl had discouraged her in multiple ways. 

Anna turned her attention to the headmistress and bowed. “Good evening, Headmistress Holbrooke. Thank you for allowing me to visit today and thank you for looking after Diana for all this time.”

The old witch smiled. “Oh it’s no trouble at all! You’re welcome anytime. Diana’s a pleasure to have here at the academy.”

“Now Anna,” Diana interrupted the two women’s pleasantries. “Would you mind getting to the purpose of your visit? Is there something you wanted to talk to me about that we couldn’t discuss over the phone?”

Finellan stepped in. “Well actually Diana, I was the one who suggested that Anna make the trip here. We’d all like to discuss your future plans. A situation of this magnitude requires sensitivity, but before we start getting into all of that-” She walked over to the center of the room. “Miss Kagari, may I ask you to leave? I’m not even quite sure what you’re doing here in the first place…”

The woman looked over to said girl, who was sitting between a teary eyed Hannah and Barbara on the couch. Akko’s eyebrows instinctually perked up at the sound of her name. 

“Actually, I’d like her to stay, if you don’t mind,” Diana sternly answered for her friend. “She's already known about my situation even before all of you, so there won’t be any harm done in letting her stay.”

Finellan looked shocked. Obviously, she wasn’t used to anybody standing up so strongly for the Japanese girl. Akko bashfully rubbed the back of her neck. “Haha don’t mind me Professor. I promise I’ll be really quiet.” 

“Very well…” The woman walked over to where Holbrooke and Anna were standing and began speaking in hushed voices as if the rest of the people in the room weren’t even there.

Diana impatiently crossed her arms. “Can someone _please_ start explaining to me why you all thought it was so urgent to gather in my room during a school day?”

“Explain what’s so urgent?!” Anna raised her voice. “What are you saying?! Do you not understand the severity of this situation, my lady?!”

“...Yes I do. But I don’t see why you needed to come all the way here for a conversation that we could have had on the phone.”

“I’m not here to have a conversation with you, young lady. I’m here to take you back with me to the Cavendish manor.”

Several gasps escaped throughout the room as soon as Anna revealed her intentions, the most exaggerated one coming from Akko, of course. Even though Diana had already been expecting this outcome, the persistent tone of her maid shocked her into being unable to reply.

Headmistress Holbrooke took the opportunity to gently intervene. “Diana… The head staff and I have been discussing about what would be best for you to do in regards to your illness- and unfortunately this is the best option for you. We won’t allow a student to risk her life just so she can attend classes. Above all, your health comes first.”

“We’d obviously love it if you stayed but… we just can’t risk your chances of survival. You might have a better chance of recovery if you returned home and lived there without any stress,” Finellan added in.

An uneasy silence enveloped the room while everyone looked to Diana for her reaction. 

“...I’m staying.”

Anna’s jaw dropped to the floor. “Don’t be ridiculous! Think about what you’re doing to yourself! Staying at Luna Nova will only worsen your condition. You do remember what happened to your mother when she pushed herself too hard!”

The blonde held her ground. “I don’t care. I want to remain here.”

“Is there a particular reason why?” Holbrooke asked gently.

_Why?_ Diana didn’t quite know the answer herself. Maybe it was her refusal to give into the unfairness of it all. Maybe it was because she was so insistent on studying at the same school that Shiny Chariot had gone to. Maybe it was her natural stubbornness showing itself. She could never dream of quitting something that she had already put so much time into. 

However, deep down under all those confusing reasons, there was one that Diana was absolutely positive of: she didn't want to leave behind all of the friends that she had made at Luna Nova. Despite all the negative consequences that would come from remaining at school, the heiress simply loathed the idea of not being able to see her friends everyday. Hannah, Barbara, Lotte, Sucy, Amanda, Constanze, Jasminka. Akko… 

If she were to return back to the Cavendish manor now, there was a good chance that she would never be able to come back. She couldn’t bare the thought of that possibility. “I’m a student at Luna Nova and I intend to carry out my three years here no matter what,” she answered simply.

“But- surely you wouldn’t want to burden the academy with your stay here. Your medical care is going to get to a point where it’ll be too much to handle,” insisted Anna.

“If it comes to that, I’ll hire a private nurse for myself. She can work here."

The poor woman clamped her mouth shut, unable to come up with anymore persuasions at the moment. Most of the professors had begun to huddle together, murmuring about their personal opinions on the matter. Diana chuckled when she glanced over at Akko, who was watching the whole exchange with wide eyes and raised eyebrows. 

“If I may say something,” Ursula said loudly, speaking for the first time since entering the room. “I also agree that it would be best for Diana’s health if she quit school and returned home but… we technically can’t deny her right to stay at Luna Nova if that’s what she chooses.”

“Professor Ursula-”

“She’s right,” said the headmistress, cutting off Professor Finellan before she could start up another argument. “Diana, it’s ultimately your choice whether or not you choose to stay at Luna Nova. And if you do decide to stay, I promise you that we will all do our very best to help you in any way that we can.”

“Thank you Headmistress Holbrooke.” Diana turned to face Anna. “I’m staying here. That’s final.” 

“My lady…” The woman closed her eyes in thought. “Is there anything I can do to make you reconsider?”

“I’m afraid there isn’t. Just keep the mansion in good shape. That will certainly help ease my mind a bit.”

“As you wish,” Anna replied while bowing slowly. “I suppose it’s time I take my leave then.”

“Yes now that everything’s cleared up, I think it’s time that we all take our leave and let Diana get some much needed rest,” Holbrooke said with a smile. She quickly ushered everyone out of the room and closed the door behind her with a wink. Diana, Hannah, Barbara, and Akko were now the only people that remained in the room.

Akko was the first to speak. “Wow Diana. I’ve never seen you that aggressive before. It was... kinda hot.”

“Thank you Akko,” she said while holding back a laugh. “I’m a little surprised that I was able to convince them without much trouble.”

The four of them sat awkwardly for a while. There wasn’t really anything much to say. By now, Hannah and Barbara had already gotten over the fact that Diana had kept her illness a secret from them for so long. The three had sorted it all out last night and although her roommates were upset with her secrecy at first, they were just too devastated about the news to care about anything else. She even heard the two of them crying themselves to sleep last night. 

“So does everybody know now? About my situation?” Diana finally asked.

“Yeah,” Hannah solemnly nodded her head. “Wangari made an article about what happened to you in the school newspaper.”

“We tried to stop her, but all she said was, ‘news is news’,” Barbara added.

Diana sighed. “It’s fine. I know Wangari means well. Besides, people would have found out one way or another. I already expected the girls who saw me like that in class would spread the word around school anyways.”

_So much for my perfect reputation,_ she thought wistfully. _At least no one’s found out that I’m dating Akko yet._

“But… are you really sure about this? Not going home I mean,” the Japanese girl asked.

“...Yes I’m positive. I want to enjoy my school life while I still can.” Diana closed her eyes. “Enrolling in Luna Nova is one of the only decisions I’ve ever made that was entirely selfish. It was my dream for the longest time and I don’t plan on wasting it.”


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready

It had taken about a week after Diana’s story had leaked out among the Luna Nova students for everyone to finally calm down. The news had spread like wildfire as soon as Wangari released her newest issue of the school paper. She had started writing the article literally hours after Diana had passed out and by the next morning, everyone in school had a copy of it. It was by far the school paper’s most successful issue.

News of Diana Cavendish’s terminal illness was all anyone would talk about for a while. Since the girl in question wasn’t in class to handle their concerns directly, Hannah and Barbara found themselves being bombarded by daily interrogations from their classmates. 

It’s not that her classmates were being nosey, they were all just worried about her. Along with being the top student in Luna Nova, Diana actually took time out of her day to get to know every single one of the young witches, even if they weren’t in the same year. She helped them out when they needed it, gave them advice, and even tutored some of them on occasion. It was hard for any of the students not to like her. That's why when people found out that she had contracted an incurable disease, it was only natural that they would be devastated. Akko found it sweet that everyone cared so much for the girl. She hoped that Diana knew just how much everyone liked her for who she really was. 

It was probably fair to say that Akko herself was the most concerned out of everyone, besides Hannah and Barbara of course. Her and the blonde had been working around the clock to find a cure for Salander’s Affliction. One would think that they would have found something new by now, but it wasn’t exactly that easy. After all, they were searching for something that no one had been able to find for the past few centuries. 

Akko didn’t like admitting that they weren’t making any progress, but it was hard to say that they had found anything useful as of yet. It was liking figuring out where only three of the pieces from a ten thousand piece puzzle fit. Still though, she refused to give up. Even up to Diana’s very last breath, Akko had told herself that she would still be working to find a solution. It wasn’t in either of their natures to quit without succeeding.

Even when Diana was bedridden for the past week, Akko had continued on by herself with the research. She spent a lot of time going into town and asking around to see if anybody knew anything about Salander’s Affliction. A few elderly people had mentioned how they remembered a famous witch dying of it at some point, but Akko already knew exactly who they were talking about so it wasn’t very helpful. 

By the time Diana had recovered enough to start going to class again, the two were already back on their normal schedule of spending each day after school at the library. The only thing different between them was the uneasy feeling that lingered in the air. They knew that whatever grace period they were having now wouldn’t last for long. Time was running out.

Akko was slowly beginning to understand just how real this situation was becoming. It hadn’t really hit her until now. Her feelings for the heiress were only growing stronger by the day and she wouldn’t know what to do with herself if anything happened to her.

Luckily today, Diana wasn’t showing any signs of her illness, which put Akko’s heart at ease for a while, even though she knew it would only be a matter of time before the girl relapsed again. They had to start getting serious with their research before Diana got to a point where she wouldn’t even be able to walk to the library.

 

Today was a quiet evening, like most others, and there was no one to disturb them in the midst of their library study date. Hardly anybody even walked into the library in the first place. It had become sort of like their private hideaway where they could be in each other’s company without the judging eyes of their peers.

“Akko, do you think you could pass me that book to your left?” Diana asked without lifting her eyes from the page that she was currently reading.

“Yeah sure.” She grabbed the heavy book and handed it over. “Is that one giving you any luck?” 

“No, I’m afraid not,” The girl sighed. “A lot of these books are very similar in content, so I’m not surprised that we’re not finding anything new. Though it is important that we check them over anyways, just to make sure.”

Akko hummed in response and crossed her legs below her chair. She often times found her eyelids getting so heavy that she could have sworn that she had mistakenly casted a sleeping spell on herself. If she had to be honest, she was getting really tired of reading and rereading all the damn time. Her talent usually lied in taking action, not in using her brain power. In fact, for most of the times she’d been successful with her magic, it had been because she rushed into the problem headfirst. Unfortunately, even she had no idea how to attack this type of situation. Until she could come up with some sort of brilliant plan, she would just have to settle with helping Diana by reading.

Akko tilted her head to the right and leaned onto her arm. It was a good position where she could read her book and at the same time see Diana in the corner of her vision. It was embarrassing to say that she sometimes found it hard to concentrate whenever she sat next to the girl. Everything about her was just so intoxicating. Her natural scent, her ridiculously long eyelashes, the little pout she would have on whenever she got really into her reading. She just couldn’t get enough of any of it.

She smiled as a childish question suddenly came to mind. “Hey Diana, what do you like most about me? Like in terms of physical appearance.”

The heiress looked up and turned to face Akko with an amused expression. “Hmmmm.” She looked the brunette up and down. “I’d have to say that I like your legs a lot.”

“Pffff Whaat?!” Akko laughed then stopped when she realized that her friend was serious. “Seriously? Why my legs you weirdoooo.”

“Well, it’s because they’re so long. You especially make it hard for me not to notice them since you wear your skirt _much_ shorter than everyone else in school,” Diana replied playfully.

“Really?” Akko looked down at her skirt. “But this is the normal length that girls wear their skirts in Japan. Do you think it’s really that short?”

“Well it’s certainly the shortest I’ve ever seen anyone wear our uniform skirt. It makes your legs look like they’re just _asking_ for attention.”

“Oh is that so?” She smirked mischievously. “In that case, you want me to give you a show?” Akko stood up from her chair and backed up to twirl around in her skirt a couple of times. She purposely exaggerated a few of the spins just to tease her friend. 

Diana smiled and clapped sarcastically. “Dazzling! What a show!”

“Thank you, thank you.” She bowed and cheerily sat back down. “That was good practice for my magic shows in the future.”

“Well you’re going to need more than skirt twirling if you want to entertain a crowd in a _magic_ show.”

“Yeahhh I’m working on that part.”

“Yes, I know,” Diana said gently. “You’ve been working very hard. I’m sure your shows will be wonderful!” 

Akko found it very hard not to blush. She still wasn’t used to the whole ‘receiving compliments’ thing. Her whole life had been pretty much filled with everybody bringing up the mistakes she made. It was refreshing to have someone support her every now and then.

“And what’s your favorite part about me?” Diana asked shly.

“Oh that’s easy. Your face. You’re by far the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen in my entire life,” Akko answered without hesitation.

“R-really?!”

“Haha of course! Why are you so surprised? Don’t you hear that all the time?”

The British girl turned away. “I suppose I do… but it’s different when you say it. I feel like it actually means something coming from you.”

“Ah… I see. Well I’ll make sure to say it more often then,” she grinned. The two sat quietly for the next hour, content with the delightful conversation they just had. The brunette certainly felt like her battery had been recharged after seeing Diana’s adorable reactions. She swung her legs back and forth happily as she read.

 

“I think it’s about time we called it a day,” Diana said while gazing out the window. About an hour or two had passed. “Shall we start heading to the cafeteria?”

Akko looked up from the textbook she had been reading. “Oh is it already that late?” She groaned and stretched. “Yeah, I’m getting pretty hungry. Let’s go.”

“Help me put the books back first.”

“Sure thing.” The two girls got up and began to gather all the books they had taken off of the shelves. Putting the books back always made Akko recall her first summer at Luna Nova when she had gotten all of her friends trapped inside a time warp. No matter how many times she had organized the books in the library, they would always be reset along with the clock the next morning. While a fun experience at first, it got tedious very quickly. 

_Man… Things were really different last year,_ she thought wistfully. _Diana and I were pretty problematic to each other back then. Who would have guessed that we’d be dating now._ Akko smiled to herself as she placed the last of the books on the shelf.

A glint of the setting sun caught her eye, prompting her to turn towards the window. The sun seeped through the glass and soaked the whole library in a honey-colored glow. Diana was standing at the edge of the last bookshelf closest to the window. Akko watched as the girl got up on her tippy toes and slid the last book that she had been holding back into its place. She stared at the girl’s delicate fingers as they extended. They looked so fragile. Always so cold and so soft. Perfect for hand holding.

The dying sun was hitting her perfectly, just enough to light up the girl’s tea green, platinum hair and made it look like a shimmering loom of yarn. _I guess this is what they call golden hour,_ she thought, completely mesmerized by the sight in front of her. 

“You’re so beautiful,” Akko said absentmindedly. The words felt so natural to say in the moment, that she didn’t even feel embarrassed at how straightforward her statement had been. 

Diana turned to face her and although she appeared flustered at first, the girl’s expression quickly turned serious. “Oh yeah? Then do something about it,” she commanded. 

Akko understood immediately. She knew exactly what her friend was asking for, although she wondered if she would die of a heart attack before she even got to make a move.

She walked over to the girl and despite her nervousness, Akko sucked in a breath, shut her eyes, stood on her tippy-toes, and closed the space between the two of them by grabbing Diana by the collar and kissing her passionately. 

A slight moan of surprise came from the both of them when they first initiated the contact. It was both of their first kisses, after all. Akko seemed hyper aware of every sensation as she felt her burning lips pressed up against Diana’s soft, lukewarm lips. She wanted to open her eyes and see what kind of expression the girl was making, but she physically couldn’t. Some sort of blissful feeling was keeping them shut for whatever reason. It was like heaven. 

The two parted after what seemed like an eternity, both with rosy cheeks and short breaths. Akko couldn’t imagine a first kiss being any more perfect than that, besides the fact that it could’ve been longer. She just hoped that Diana had enjoyed it as much as she had.

A breathy laugh from the girl confirmed that she did. “Akko,” she said, emphasizing every letter.

“Yes?” 

“I love you.” 

Akko’s face turned impossibly redder. “M-me too! I love you too Diana!” 

“I’d like to continue but… we should probably get to dinner before our friends start getting suspicious,” Diana stated apologetically. 

“Okay!” She squeaked. Akko doubted that food would ever taste good again now that she’d had a taste of the sweetest lips ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did good?  
> I did good


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Sorry for the wait, but I've been so busy lately that I barely even have time to proof read the chapters.

Two weeks had passed since Diana last recovered from her latest sick spell. Two weeks had passed since all of Luna Nova had found out about her limited amount of time left in this world. Two weeks had passed since her and Akko had shared their first kiss. 

It had only been two short weeks and once again, she was sick. 

As silly as it sounded, it was tiring to be bedridden all the time. Diana constantly felt like she was wasting precious time, but it couldn’t be helped. She knew better than to strain herself unnecessarily. Her mother had done the same, and look at what happened to her. Stressing about things out of her control would only help to accelerate her illness. 

However, being stuck in bed hadn't prevented her from being completely idle. Hannah and Barbara had brought her a lot of books from the library so that she could at least do some extent of research on Salander’s Affliction while she stayed in her room. Progress on finding a cure was slow, but still in sight.

In fact, Diana had even started to get a little more hopeful about finding a cure as of late. All of the Professors at Luna Nova had agreed that they were going to use whatever resources they had in order to search for a solution. Even some of her classmates had come knocking on her door from time to time, offering some kind of help in their own unique way. Diana still shuddered at the taste of Sucy’s potion that the girl had asked her to try just last week.

Unfortunately, one thing she was sure of while sitting in bed for all that time was that her symptoms were definitely starting to get worse. Not only was she getting sick more often and for longer durations, but the sickness itself was also getting more intense. If she thought that her sore throat and throbbing headache were bad before, then they were about twice as worse now. Almost every part of her body ached with pain and her sore throat, which was now accompanied by a frequent cough, felt like she was swallowing a volcano. It got so bad somedays that she wouldn't even able to talk.

Diana tried not to concentrate on the unpleasantness and kept herself busy with frequent reading. The peace and quiet she had during the school day while she was left alone in her dorm was nice most of the time, but she did find herself feeling a little lonely once in a while. _I suppose I’ll have to get used to this routine if things keep going the way that they are,_ she sighed and closed the book she had been reading.

A few seconds later, she heard the sound of the door opening. It was strange for anybody to be visiting her on the weekday during classes. She thought it might have been the nurse before an all too familiar voice called out from the otherside of her bookshelf.

“Hey Diana, how are you feeling today?”

A wide smile immediately crept up her cheeks. _Akko…_

The Japanese girl peeked out from behind the bookshelf, carrying a tray of what looked to be sliced apples and a bowl of something. She grinned when she saw Diana. “Hello there, lovely.”

“Good afternoon Akko. What brings you here? Don’t you have class right now?” she asked worriedly.

The girl moved a few papers out of the way and placed the tray on Diana’s bedside table. “I do, but I just came to bring you some stuff real quick. I asked one of the goblins to make this for you!” 

“Oh Akko, you really didn’t have to-”

“Nonsense! The kitchen staff was all too happy to help me with it,” the girl insisted. She pointed to the array. “There’s a few sliced apples and a really big bowl of chicken soup. I suggest eating that first while it’s still hot.”

Diana stared at the steam coming off of the soup. The light smell that it was giving off brought up memories that she thought she had long forgotten. Memories of her mother. Chicken soup and sliced apples. Those were the exact same things that her mother would bring to her whenever she got sick as a child. She remembered how excited she had been being able to wake up late and skip school, all while her mother pampered her and stayed with her in bed all day long until she was feeling better. It only happened maybe once or twice in her life considering she rarely ever got sick when she was younger. 

_How amusing,_ she thought. _I thought I’d never get to see the day when somebody would bring me soup in bed again. And yet here’s Akko… surprising me everyday with something new up her sleeve._

The girl noticed the blonde drifting off into thought. “What’s wrong Diana? Want me to feed it to you?” 

Diana cringed at the thought. “I’m not that incapable of doing things myself.”

“Haha, I know, I know. Just joking,” she laughed. Both of the girls sat silently for a while with an unspoken impasse. Akko didn’t want to leave Diana, and Diana didn’t want her to leave either. 

Of course, she couldn’t ask the girl to skip class just so she could keep her company. That would be setting a bad example. “You should really get going now. Your next class will be starting in a few minutes and I wouldn’t want you to be late.”

Akko looked hesitantly to the door. “I mean… I could always skip class just this once.” 

“Absolutely not! I can’t allow you to do that! Your education should come above everything else.”

“I know, I know,” the girl replied. “I just don’t like the idea of you being alone all day. No matter how much you deny it, I’m sure you hate being stuck in bed all day by yourself with nothing to do besides read those books.”

Diana sighed sympathetically. “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me, I’m a tough witch. Just concentrate on your classes, okay?” she asked gently.

“Alright,” Akko agreed reluctantly. She got up and planted a quick kiss on the top of Diana’s head. “Feel better okay? I’ll visit you again after school.” And with that, she walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.

It was quiet in the dorm once more. The dull atmosphere settled in again. The only thing that was different was the new smell of fresh food that filled the room. Diana turned her head to look at the tray that had been brought in so thoughtfully and smiled.

 

\-----------------------------------------

 

“Ughhh I just don’t get it,” Akko sighed as she took a bite out of her meatloaf. She was eating lunch with her usual group, minus Diana of course.

Amanda looked up from her plate. “Get what?”

“I don’t understand how we’re barely making any progress on finding a cure. How can there be literally nothing written about Salander’s Affliction anywhere?!” She threw her hands in the hair for emphasis.

“Have you and Diana found anything out so far?” Lotte asked hopefully.

Akko made a sour face. “Nothing much besides that there most likely _is_ a cure. We just don’t know what it could possibly be. The one clue is that it has something to do with Wagandea.”

“You mean that really tall tree in the Arcturus Forest?” Amanda asked.

“Uh-huh,” Akko sipped at her juice box. “I told Diana that we should try looking for clues there, but she said it was too dangerous and it wouldn’t be worth the risk.”

“I thought it was only dangerous when it’s pollen releases,” added Sucy.

“Apparently not,” she shrugged. “Diana said something about it being a really bad place for witches to be even without the pollen.”

“Hah. So then maybe we should try sending Andrew up there to see if he can find anything for us,” Amanda remarked, earning a laugh from everyone at the table.

Akko chuckled at the joke and looked down at her plate of food thoughtfully. “I just don’t understand what we’re missing. There has to be something that we just haven’t found yet. I mean, everything has an answer, right?”

Her friends smiled back at her warmly. “Of course!” Hannah replied enthusiastically. “Now that everyone in Luna Nova knows, they all want to try and help however they can.”

Barbara nodded in agreement. “And with even the professors looking into it, I’m sure we’ll find something soon!”

“I hope so…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that it's kind of short


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I'm late again!!!

Lately, time for Akko had been divided into good and bad days.

She considered good days to be when Diana was healthy enough to attend class and do research in the library; when everything seemed normal for a little while.

Bad days were when Diana didn’t even have the energy to get out of bed in the morning, let alone have a lively conversation with anyone who bothered to visit. She just stayed in her room all day, trying out ancient magic spells and scribbling down notes.

Unfortunately for the both of them, the number of bad days were starting to gradually increase. Around the third time this month when she had gotten sick, Diana decided that it was finally time to hire a private nurse. It was inevitable anyways, and it was better that she did so sooner than later. Thankfully, the new nurse wasn’t much of a bother. She did the normal things required of her, like doing regular checkups on Diana and giving her the proper food for a sick person. She also didn’t linger around in the room for too long, which Akko was internally grateful for. It would have been a little awkward for her to hang out with her friend when there was a grown woman in the room with them at all times.

 

Today, Akko was on her way to visit Diana who was, once again, stuck in bed. Luckily, it was Saturday, so she was planning on spending the whole day together with the girl, doing their homework and other things.

_I hope Diana’s awake,_ she thought to herself as she walked down the stairwell of the East dormitories. _I mean, she should be. It’s already 11 and I know she hates getting up late._

Her question was answered even before she stepped into the blue team’s room. It was faint, but she could hear someone’s coughing echoing through the second floor hallway. Akko was all too familiar with the sound by now.

She made her way to the end of the hallway and knocked on the blue team’s door. Barbara immediately opened it. “Morning Akko, you can come in,” the girl said as she walked back into the room and sat down next to Hannah who was reading a book. The two were completely unfazed by Akko’s visits at this point. In fact, it was probably accurate to say that Akko had spent more time in their own room this past month than themselves. 

Surprisingly, Diana was not in bed. She was sitting across from Hannah and Barbara while sipping on a cup of tea. The brunette was delighted to see that the girl looked fairly normal today. The only difference was a slight paleness, but other than that she seemed to be a little better than usual.

“Hey guys. How’s it going?” Akko asked while sitting down on the couch next to her girlfriend. She set the homework she had brought onto the table before greeting Diana with a light kiss on the cheek.

“Same old,” Hannah shrugged. She glanced at the papers on the table and scrunched up her nose. “Is that the Magic Linguistics homework that’s due on Monday?”

“Ughhh yes. I was having a lot of trouble with it so I hoped you guys might have some idea on how to do it?” Akko replied.

“Not a clue,” said Hannah. “Wait, let me get mine out too.” 

“Oh can you get mine as well?” Barbara called.

The girl nodded and got up to retrieve both of their notebooks from their side of the room. Hannah frustratingly ripped out the sheet of homework from one of her books. She pointed to one of the questions on the page. “See? I just don’t get this part at all! What does Finellan mean by ‘Explain the depth of the pronunciation’?”

Barbara scratched her head. “I don’t think she went over that in class.”

Akko, Hannah, and Barbara all looked over to Diana simultaneously with pleading eyes. “Diana?”

The girl stared back and sighed. “I guess it can’t be helped. Fine, I’ll teach you.”

 

And so she did. Even after only 20 minutes of concise explaining, Diana had more than managed to get the point across to the three girls. Completing the homework was a breeze for them after that.

“Wow Diana, I’m surprised you know what’s going on in the course better than we do, even though you haven’t been to class at all lately,” Akko praised.

“Yeahh. You explained it way better than Professor Finellan did too,” Barbara added.

Diana waved away the compliment. “I wouldn’t go that far…” 

“Aww c’mon now! No need to be modest,” Akko patted the girl on her shoulder. 

A sudden sound of knocking coming from the door startled all four of them. They hadn’t been expecting anybody else. “Yo, it’s Amanda. Can I come in?” called a cheery voice from the other side of the door.

Hannah stood up from the couch and opened the door for the green team witch. “Hi Amanda! What brings you here?”

Amanda grinned and held up a big rectangular box. “I found an old set of Monopoly! I thought It’d be nice for Diana to play with you guys since she’s stuck in bed all day.” The girl’s neon-green eyes peered into the room and stopped once they found Diana sitting in plain sight. “Oh, how rare! The princess is actually out of bed for once!”

“Yes, I was feeling a little better today,” Diana replied kindly. “Thank you for bringing the game.”

Akko thought it was a little strange at first for Amanda to bring a board game out of all things as a get well soon gift. Diana had never really expressed any sort of fondness towards them before, but she supposed it was just Amanda’s way of doing things. In the end, it was simply a nice gesture for her to give.

The American girl shook the box happily. “Well that’s great to hear. Does that mean you’re up to play a round right now?”

“I wouldn’t mind! I haven’t played monopoly in ages,” Hannah said excitedly. 

Barbara nodded her head. “Yes, it would be a nice change of pace.”

Akko almost jumped out of her seat at the idea of playing a game with her friends. The answer was obvious for her. “Be ready to get schooled Amanda. I won’t lose to the likes of you!”

Everyone looked to Diana and waited for her response. She tilted her head in thought. “Well since everyone’s so enthuzed at the idea, I suppose I could join in as well.”

“Haha! All right! Let’s get started. Everyone help me clear the table,” Amanda exclaimed. They all worked together to carefully move all of the books, homework, and teacups off of the table while Amanda opened the contents of the box.

As soon as Akko started to set up the board, a thought crossed her mind. “Hey wait a second… I’m not so sure it’s the best idea to go against Diana in monopoly.” Everyone looked at her in confusion, including Diana herself. 

“Huh? Why’s that?” Amanda questioned.

“Because. Monopoly is a game about buying and managing property right?”

“Yeah… What’s your point?”

“Well, Diana has an unfair advantage since she does all that stuff _in real life_!” Akko threw her hands in the air. “She’ll completely crush us!”

The whole room went dead silent for a second before everybody burst into a fit of genuine laughter. She glanced toward Diana, who was also laughing. Akko’s heart fluttered at the sight and then plummeted when she realized that someday, if things kept going badly, she might not be able to hear the girl’s laugh anymore. 

She tried to keep her mind off of the invasive thought during the majority of the board game, but it kept hanging over her for the entirety of the day. It hung over her when she went to sleep that night and it hung over her when she woke up in the morning and it hung over her for even longer after that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kinda short again? But yeah if I were you, I’d take whatever happy chapters you can get from now on lol. 
> 
> And in case you were wondering who won the game of monopoly, Diana did of course. Duh. Never play monopoly with people who are good with business or real estate.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chronologically, this chapter takes place two months after the last chapter. Don’t be alarmed at the dramatic shift in character for Akko, that’s exactly the point I’m trying to make.

It had been more than a month since Diana had attended class. She just wasn’t well enough to sit through the entire day without pushing herself past her limits. If class wasn’t boring enough for Akko before, it was certainly torturing now. She couldn’t find it within herself to concentrate during any of her classes. There were just so many things that she’d rather be doing instead. That she _needed_ to be doing instead.

She spent practically all of her spare time with Diana, in and out of sickness. The intrusive thoughts about what would happen to the girl if they didn’t find a cure soon, kept on getting worse. She managed to put on what she thought was a regular happy face in front of all her friends, but on the inside she was being eaten alive with fear. 

Akko was beginning to realize that she cared more about Diana than she had initially thought. Every waking thought she had was centered around Diana and finding a cure for her. There was no down time for anything else. No matter how much her eyes burned or how much her brain fried after doing nonstop research, she persisted with one goal in mind. It was becoming unhealthy and Akko no longer felt like the happy-go-lucky girl that she was before all of this happened. 

Before she knew it, she had begun to descend down a path of obsession. She was beginning to lose her grip on reality. Her grades that she so persistently cared about before had started to drop severely and she barely even cared, let alone noticed. She couldn’t remember the last time she had a magic tutoring session with Professor Ursula. However all of that didn’t matter to her. 

She was only focused on furthering her findings on Salander’s Affliction. Night and day. During mealtimes, on weekends, in between classes, on the toilet. There was never a second during the day when she wasn’t totally invested in thoughts of a cure.

 

Today, like most days, Akko sat in the library with textbooks piled high on all sides of her. She had wanted to spend time in Diana’s room, but the girl was sleeping when she had last checked on her right after class, and she really didn’t want to risk waking her. The girl needed all the sleep she could get.

Akko furiously scribbled down her notes while pushing her bangs out of her face. _Ugh I need a haircut soon,_ she acknowledged. She probably wouldn’t get one in the end though. There just wasn’t any time for it.

She concentrated heavily on a large book about Wagandea for about an hour before she heard the sound of the library door open. Two pairs of footsteps made their way over to her table and stopped once they reached it. Akko didn’t bother to look up. 

“Akko.”

_Maybe if they see I’m busy, they’ll just leave me alone._

“Akko,” the voice said, sterner.

The brunette let out a sigh of irritation and glanced up to see who it was that decided to disturb her during such an important part of her research. “Oh, hey you guys. What’s up?”

Lotte and Sucy stood on the other side of the table, eyeing her timidly. They looked like they had something urgent to say. “We’re really sorry to bother you Akko! We know you’re busy but… do you mind if we talk to you about something?” Lotte asked gently.

“Uhhh I guess you can,” Akko replied before focusing her attention back onto her notes. “As long as you keep it short.”

“Well that’s kind of what we wanted to talk to you about,” Sucy grunted. “About how you’ve been spending your time lately.”

“It’s great and all that you’ve been working so hard to help Diana,” Lotte added. “But lately that’s the only thing you’ve been doing. I’m not saying that it’s a bad thing of course! It’s just that maybe…”

“Maybe you should take a break once in a while. You haven’t been acting like yourself recently,” Sucy finished. She had an unusual amount of delicacy in her tone.

Akko still didn’t bother looking up at her two friends. “What’s your point?” she asked bluntly.

Lotte grabbed the edges of her skirt nervously. Her voice wavered. “Everyone’s worried about you Akko! You haven’t been paying attention at all in class and your grades are starting to drop. I haven’t even heard you mention magic shows once in this past month! You can’t just abandon everything you cared about up until now! What about becoming like Chariot?”

“Chariot? Who the hell is that?” Akko said with her crimson eyes fixed to the textbook, devoid of any usual brightness they once had. Her tone indicated complete seriousness.

The two girls were shocked silent. Neither of them knew what to say after their friend’s horrifying response. Lotte opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out.

“Just kidding,” Akko said with a bleak chuckle. She closed the book she was reading with a loud thud. “But you can’t expect me to care about that kind of stuff right now. I mean, someone’s life is on the line here! Diana’s fucking dying right in front of us and I seem to be the only one who cares about finding a solution!” With the last sentence, she violently slammed her hands onto the table. Piles of textbooks toppled over from the sudden impact. 

“Akko… how could you say something like that?” Lotte asked, hurt. “Of course we care, we’d do anything to help, you know that!” 

Sucy butted in while putting a hand on the bespectacled girl’s shoulder. “It’s just that… you’re slipping. We’re concerned for you that’s all. I’m sure if Diana knew that you were neglecting your basic magical studies, she wouldn’t be happy with you. She’d tell you to knock it off.” 

Akko’s eyes regretfully snapped upwards. “You’re right guys… I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to yell, I know you’re just looking out for me. It’s just that I’m _really_ scared. What if I can’t save her on time?” She put her face in her hands. “I feel so helpless. I have no idea what I’m doing anymore.” 

After a very awkward silence between the three of them, the four o’clock bell tolled, signifying that it had been exactly 2 hours since class had ended. Akko sighed and began to pack up all her stuff. “I gotta go check on Diana and see how she’s feeling today. Do you mind if we talk about this later?”

Lotte nodded slowly. “Of course. Whenever you feel like it, Sucy and I are here for you. Okay?”

“Thanks guys.” She gave an apologetic half smile before rushing out of the room.

 

 

Akko entered Diana’s room without knocking in case she was still sleeping. Her face collided with another woman’s chest as soon as she opened the door. “Aaack!” she cried while stumbling backwards. 

“Oh Miss Kagari, good day. Miss Cavendish is awake now,” the big boobed woman said curtly. Akko looked up and realized that the woman was actually Diana’s private nurse.

“Ah. Okay thanks,” she replied while moving out of the way to let the lady pass through the doorway. The nurse gave her a quick nod before walking out of the room.

“Akko, is that you?” she heard Diana call hoarsely from her bed.

“Yup! Be right there!” She placed all of her stuff down on the couch and picked up one of the chairs to move next to the girl’s bed for their daily talk. Sometimes, she found herself playing a game in her head. Whenever she turned the corner of that bookshelf, she would guess: ‘Is it a good day or a bad day for Diana?’

Today was a moderate day. Diana didn’t seem to be miserable like some days, but she also didn’t seem to have her regular energy. Her usual porcelain cheeks were now almost always a bright pink color, along with the rest of her body, and her temperature was never normal. It was something Akko wasn’t quite used to seeing yet. Still though, it was insane how beautiful Diana managed to look, even in this horrible state.

The blonde smiled. “How was class today?”

“It was fine, we learned more about summoning in fifth period,” Akko lied. She had no idea what she had learned in fifth period. She seldom paid attention in class anymore. A lot of the time she would hide her research material under her class notebooks and try studying those instead. She couldn’t tell Diana that though, the girl would definitely get angry.

They talked back and forth for a while about casual things. The latests news, anything interesting that had happened during the day, the weather, any weird dreams. Diana didn’t have much to tell considering she spent most of her time in bed and really couldn’t say anything except for how it looked like outside her window, so Akko usually did most of the talking. The girl listened earnestly, probably eager to hear about the things that happened outside of her dorm room.

Diana coughed a lot during their talks. It was a like a sick person’s cough, but worse and more persistent. Akko’s stomach twisted every time she heard it. _If only I could stop it,_ she fretted. _If only I could see you happy again._

“Oh yes, I wanted to ask you a favor Akko,” the girl said suddenly.

“Of course! Anything!” 

She reached for a piece of paper that rested on top of her nightstand and handed it to Akko. “I’ve been meaning to try a new combination of materials that look relatively promising to some degree for weakening my illness. I’ve compiled a list of the things needed to make this new brew.”

The brunette scanned the lengthy list of ingredients on the paper she had been given. “Uhhh these all look super fancy. I wasn’t aware that some of these things even existed.”

“Yes they are quite rare. Luckily I’m more than certain that the Cavendish manor has all of the materials that I need.”

Akko’s eyes lit up. “Oh! That’s great! Then what are we waiting for, let’s try them out!”

“Yes but there’s still the trouble of transporting the materials here,” Diana replied. “There’s no way I can make the trip the way I am now and sending Anna by car to deliver them would be too inconvenient. That’s why… I was wondering if you could go, Akko. It would be easier for someone to go by broom.”

“Sure I don’t mind! When do you want me to go?” she answered almost immediately.

The heiress was obviously taken aback by the girl’s enthusiasm to make such a long trip, but she continued. “Well, I wouldn’t want you to miss school for my sake, so I thought it’d be best for you to go tomorrow after school. That way you’ll only be gone Friday afternoon and some of Saturday morning.”

Akko nodded. “Ok! Just make sure to tell your Aunt and your servants that I’m coming. Don’t want them to think I’m just dropping in on them unexpectedly,” she chuckled. 

“Yes, I’ll be sure to inform the manor of your arrival by tonight. I’ll phone them later,” Diana said while sitting up. “And be sure not to do anything else there. Just gather the materials and come straight back. Aunt Daryl will show you where they are. And only stay the night if you’re too tired to fly back, okay?”

“Roger!” Akko gave a thumbs up. It was a little exciting for her to be getting such an important mission from Diana. It was a nice change of pace from her recent cycle of hunching over in the library and obsessing over books. She had to make sure she didn’t mess it up. “You better be here when I get back,” she teased.

Diana rolled her eyes and scoffed. “You know for a fact I’m not going anywhere.”


	24. Chapter 24

It was late in the afternoon by the time Akko was finally able to see the small spec of the Cavendish manor approaching rapidly in the distance. She had been flying non-stop at her full speed all day. She hadn't even stopped after school to say goodbye to anyone. The sooner she got Diana’s materials, the better. Every second counted.

As her broom gradually made its way up to the front gate, Akko realized that there was already someone at the entrance waiting for her. She squinted at an attempt to make out the figure. A familiar swirl of green and yellow hair paced about in the dim light of the mansion. _Miss Daryl? Huh that’s odd. I wonder how long she’s been waiting out here for me._

The woman spotted the flying girl almost as soon as she came into view. “Oh Miss Kagari, you’ve finally arrived!” she called out to her while waving her arms.

Akko landed smoothly beside her and greeted her awkwardly. “Hello. Thank you for having me again, Miss Daryl. And you can just call me Akko.”

Daryl offered a warm smile. “Well alright, Akko.” She gestured towards the door. “If you’re not too tired, we can get to business right away.”

“Yes that would be great!” The girl nodded eagerly. The two began a brisk walk, with Akko allowing Daryl to lead the way to wherever she planned on taking her. She was glad the woman wasn’t wasting time with any unnecessary pleasantries. After a while of walking, they ended up in a large part of the mansion that Akko had never been to before. 

“I’m glad you were able to come on such short notice,” the woman remarked excitedly, her voice booming off of the old corridors. “I was so relieved to finally receive a call from Diana after so long. When she told me about her plan to acquire all those materials, I insisted that I fly over there and deliver them myself,” she sighed resentfully before continuing. “But you know how that girl is. She doesn’t want to cause anyone unnecessary trouble.”

Akko chuckled. “Yeah that sounds like Diana alright. Even when she’s…” she trailed off.

They walked a little in silence before Daryl spoke up again. “She’s not getting any better… is she?”

“No, not really.” The brunette stared at the ground. “To be honest- it’s really not looking so good. That’s why I’m hoping that these materials might be able to turn things around for a change.” 

The woman nodded. “I see..” They took a turn into a darker hallway with magically-lit torches on the wall. The dim green glow illuminated the path just enough for them to see a good 10 feet in front of them. They continued walking. “I’m really worried about her,” Daryl said after a long time. 

Akko was slightly surprised at the vulnerability in the woman’s voice. She didn’t really know her all that well besides the whole 'Head of the House' incident that had happened about a year ago. After that, the only time she really talked to Daryl was in small intervals during that one weekend she spent stuck in the Cavendish manor. The woman had been nice then, but now Akko was seeing a whole new side to her that she hadn’t expected to ever see.

The girl sighed. “Yeah, I worry about her a lot too.”

“I wanted to visit her so many times but…” Daryl grabbed her shoulder insecurely. “But I didn’t think she’d want me to.”

“Of course she would!” Akko cried. “You’re her family! It doesn’t matter what happened in the past since you’re making up for it now! Diana told me that herself!”

“R-really?” the woman asked hopefully. They stopped walking when they reached the end of the hallway. “Oh! We’re here!” She took out a key and opened the very old looking door. “This room is where the Cavendishes store all the rare materials they’ve gathered up throughout their lives.”

Akko looked around the large room with familiarity before realizing that she’d been in here before. It was the exact same room that Diana had taken her to when she had gotten bitten by venomous snakes after their fight with Daryl’s familiars. That was probably why she didn’t know the way they were going. She must not have really remembered properly since she was unconscious for a good amount of the time. _Wait… wouldn’t that mean that Diana carried me all the way here?!_ Despite all the worries that should have been occupying her mind at the moment, Akko was now suddenly concerned about her weight. _Oh geeeez, how come I never thought of that before? I just hope I wasn’t heavy._ She shrugged it off. _Well, knowing Diana, she probably used some sort levitation magic on me or something._

Daryl rushed right over to the shelves, leaving Akko to linger behind. “Uhhh I might be wrong, but was this room once some kind of hospital that the Cavendish family used to treat people in?”

“Yes it was in fact,” the woman replied while examining the various jars and containers lined up among the shelves. “I’m impressed that you know a little history about us, eh?”

“Yeahhh.” The girl placed her hand nostalgically on one of the tables. It was covered in dust. “Diana told me about it once. A long time ago.” Memories of a much simpler time began to resurface in Akko’s mind. It hurt to remember. 

“I- I really love that girl, you know?” Daryl proclaimed suddenly. She had stopped moving and her head was hanging down to the floor. “I loved her mother as well… Bernadette was my sister, after all. When she passed away I just didn’t know what to do. And Diana… that little girl was left all alone. No mother and no father. No one to watch her grow up. No one to tell her that she was still loved.”

Akko stood in shock. She was certainly hearing a lot of pent up regrets from this lady tonight, not that she minded though. It couldn’t have been easy for the woman.

“I could have been the one that was there for her,” Daryl continued. “But she just looked so much like my sister and- I heard that she was going to inherit the title of head of the family. All of my feelings got all mixed up and in the end I just felt… bitter. I’m such a terrible excuse for a Cavendish…”

The Japanese girl walked over to the woman. “Hey, it’s ok. I’m sure Diana loves you all the same,” she said comfortingly. 

Daryl shook her head. “I just- don’t know why I wasted so much time. I made her suffer alone for all this time. Why? I was here, I was here… Why didn’t I just swallow my pride and reach out to her?”

_Time… huh,_ Akko thought. She’d been resonating with that word a lot lately. “I know exactly what you mean about wasting time,” the girl said wisely. “Don’t worry, everybody does it. What matters most is that you’re here for Diana now. She needs her family and she needs you to tell her how you really feel about her.”

The two stared at each other. Akko with a determined look and Daryl with a dawning realization showing on her face. “Pheww. You really give good advice for a high schooler don’t you?” The woman broke into a smile. “Thank you for listening Akko.”

“Of course!”

Daryl turned around and picked up a large box filled with multiple jars and containers. “Ok! I think that’s everything on the list. Now, let’s get you on your way back to Luna Nova!” She began to walk in the opposite direction that they had come in from. “Let’s go out through this way, it’s easier. I’ll wrap up all the materials properly for your flight once we get back into the main part of the manor.”

“Ok.” Akko followed behind her as she walked further down into the ancient hallways and up a very long flight of stairs. They stopped when they reached what looked like a cellar door that could be opened from the inside. Moonlight spilled into the dark stairwell as soon as Daryl pushed the door open. 

The girl peeked her head out from underground and realized that they were now at the surface again. Only, they weren’t on any part of the Cavendish property that she recognized. They were outdoors and in some kind of grass field, which wasn’t unusual for the area around the mansion, but there were hundreds of upright rocks around them. Akko could sort of make out a rusty fence that surrounded them in the shape of a square. She walked up to a few of the stones and upon closer inspection, realized that they had words carved into them. All of them had the name ‘Cavendish’ written across the front. It was most definitely a gravestone.

“Where… are we?” Akko asked in amazement.

Daryl trudged along in the uncut grass, expecting the girl to follow after her. “This is the burial plot for the House of Cavendish. Everyone in the family is buried here after they die.”

Although a little creeped out at first, an idea popped into Akko’s head. “Sooo, all the Cavendish ancestors are here?”

“Yes…” the woman turned around. “Are you coming or not?”

The girl furrowed her eyebrows. _This is my only chance._ “Actually Miss Daryl, is it alright if I stay here for a bit? I promise I’ll meet back up with you later, I just want to check on something really quick.”

“Uhmmm. I guess that’s alright with me,” she gestured to a path that began after the rusty gate. “Just follow that dirt path for a while and it’ll lead you back to the mansion. I’ll try to have everything ready for you by the time you get back.”

“Ok, thank you!” She stood still as she watched Daryl vanish from sight, then quickly began to look around once she was sure that she was finally alone. She walked down rows and rows of graves, scanning over the various names that were engraved on the tombstones. _Hmmmm. Georgiana Cavendish, Edward Cavendish, Lucia Cavendish. No, no, no…_ She wandered around for a few more minutes before stumbling upon a relatively new looking stone. _Aha! I finally found it!_

She planted her feet firmly in front of the stone that read ‘Bernadette Cavendish’. _So this is… Diana’s mom…_ She wished she would have brought some flowers or some incense or something to be more respectful. She was meeting her girlfriend’s mother for the first time, after all. 

Akko cleared her throat. “Uh, hello Mrs. Cavendish!” she started nervously. It was a little embarrassing as she suspected, talking out loud to no one in particular. Still though, she could never be too sure with all this new abundance of magic floating around in the world. Who knows, maybe even spirits were stronger now. Maybe Diana’s mom could actually be listening from beyond the grave.

Besides, it was a common Japanese custom to ask the dead to keep watch over the living. Nothing unusual about speaking out loud to a tombstone. She swallowed her nervousness and began again. “My name is Atsuko Kagari. I’m Diana’s… really good friend. I care about her pretty much more than I care about myself.” She smiled at the thought of the blonde. “Your daughter is doing great! She grew up to be a perfect noblewoman that everyone admires. She’s following her dreams _and_ looking after the Cavendish household at the same time. Not to mention, she’s by far the best witch that’s ever attended Luna Nova.”

The cool night breeze blew gently through the girl’s hair as she continued. “She’s smart, she’s kind, she puts others before herself. Even the professors look up to her! I don’t understand how a soul in the world could ever hate her. And wow is she beautiful!” Akko couldn’t keep the grin off of her face. “It’s impossible for anyone to be as effortlessly pretty as her. I’m sure she gets it from you though,” she chuckled. 

“But you see, she’s not doing so well right now… Maybe you know already, but she has Salander’s Affliction, just like you did. She’s really having a hard time and everybody’s seriously worried about her.” The words kept rolling off of her tongue naturally, as if she had been dying to say all of this to somebody for the longest time. 

“That’s why I came here today. That’s why I came and found your grave so I could I ask you something,” she begged. “If you can, Bernadette, wherever you are now, if you’re watching over her from above, just please protect her. Please… she’s still too young for all of this. I don’t care if we’re not together forever. If we’re not meant to be. If we never see each other again after all of this is over. Just please… please save her. Let her live her life.”

She bowed her head deeply and waited for something to happen. Some kind of sign. Anything to indicate that there was even a tiny bit of hope that Bernadette might have heard her plea. But the only thing that was stirred around her was the slight waver of the tall grass, moving in the wind. 

_Hah… I should’ve known_ , she thought. _I mean what did I expect? I literally came out here and just talked to a rock. Did I actually think I would get some kind of answer?_ Akko sighed dejectedly. “Well thanks anyways Mrs. Cavendish. It was nice meeting you!” 

She began to walk off towards the exit before turning around to say one last thing to the cold stone. “And thanks for always watching over Diana!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe Daryl’s a really nice lady after all huh? HUH?!  
> Yeah no that’s it, she’s actually nice. There’s no plot twist you sadists. Let Diana have her much needed Aunt love in peace.


	25. Chapter 25

Diana laid on her back and stared up at the ceiling. Over these past two months, she’d gotten a little too familiar with the sight of it. Sometimes, she even found herself counting the little dots speckled across the ceiling whenever she got tired of the constant reading. 

Today had certainly been a very interesting morning for her. She had been woken up when the phone rang in her room and was very surprised to find that it was Aunt Daryl on the other end. It was the first time that the woman had ever called her. 

After informing Diana that Akko had arrived safely and was already on her way back, the woman went off into a very long tangent about the past. She had tried to cut her off, but Daryl insisted that she needed to get everything off of her chest and properly apologize. And she did. She apologized about embarrassing the Cavendish name, she apologized about never being there when she needed her the most, she even apologized for things that had nothing to do with either of them. 

Diana couldn’t be sure, but she could have sworn that the woman sounded like she was crying at a few points during the conversation. It was very awkward to have all of her Aunt’s emotions thrown at her all at once, but somehow she actually felt… happy. She had thought for the longest time that Daryl hated her guts. After their long heart to heart chat, Diana was finally able to understand the woman a little more clearly.

She had almost died of shock when Daryl ended their phone call with a, “Feel better. I love you.” It took her a minute to recover before replying back with her own astonished, “I love you too.”

Their conversation repeated in her head as she smiled to herself. Her Aunt’s attention was something she had always desperately wanted to have. It was too bad that it took a deathly illness to get the woman to admit her true feelings. 

She heard a loud knock on the door. “Come in,” she called. A lot of cluttering sounded off from behind her bookshelf before Akko finally emerged, carrying various things in her arms.

“Hey Diana!” the girl beamed excitedly while setting all of the stuff down on a table. “I stopped in town for a minute and brought you some Bakewell Tart from the bakery! I dunno what it is, but the shopkeeper said it was a traditional British pastry so I thought you might like it.”

“Oh, thank you Akko. You can just leave it on my desk. I’ll have some later,” Diana replied as nicely as she could. She didn’t have the heart to tell her friend that if she were to even attempt to eat anything as of right now, it would undoubtedly come right back up. Despite the good mood she was in, she was actually feeling quite poorly this morning.

“So how was your trip?” she asked the Japanese girl. “Sorry again for making you go out of your way like that.” 

“Don’t even worry about it,” Akko replied while unpacking the contents of the box she had brought in. “I had a nice little tour of the mansion. I talked to your Aunt a lot too. She’s really worried about you, by the way.”

Diana’s eyes softened. “Yes I know. I got a call from her just this morning.”

“Oh?” The girl grinned expectantly.

“We had a very long chat about... a lot of things,” the blonde continued. She still felt warm inside from all the kind words her Aunt had said to her. She never knew the woman cared for her that much. It made her impossibly happy. Familial love was something that she thought she would never have again for a long time. 

“That’s good to hear Diana. I’m happy for you guys!” Akko put her hands on her hips. “Phew! Ok, I finished unpacking all the stuff. Now what?”

“Hmmm,” Diana carefully examined all of the materials that had been set out on the table. “Yes, this should be sufficient enough.” With great effort, she forced herself to sit up. “I’ll try making the tonic now. Do you think you can bring over that magic cauldron in the corner of the room?” she asked the girl.

Akko nodded and quickly carried the large black pot over to the bed while Diana busied herself by organizing the ingredients and re-reading the texts to make sure she would get everything exactly right. She dumped the base liquid in and began to intensely study the instructions. _4 drops of bull tears, half a mermaid scale, a golden apple of the sun, salt from a hyacinth, dragon’s liver…_ She mixed in many more ridiculous ingredients and stirred the clumpy broth, all while reciting an ancient incantation, exactly as the instructions told her to do so.

She drew her wand around in a circle, repeatedly mixing the broth with her magic. The cauldron’s contents began to bubble and turn into a gooey shade of bright green. Akko watched on in silent amazement. After about 15 minutes of further preparing, Diana determined that the mixture was finally ready for use. She scooped up a small amount into a glass tube.

Akko gulped nervously. “How do we know it worked?”

“The text said it’s supposed to show it’s effects immediately,” Diana answered. “So hopefully we’ll know as soon as I drink it.”

She really hoped it would work anyways. The tonic wasn’t exactly a cure for Salander’s Affliction, it was more of a temporary solution. Even if it didn’t completely erase the illness, it would at least lessen its effects and buy her enough time to produce the actual cure. That is, if it even worked in the first place.

The two stared nervously for a while at the tiny green tube that held such significance. Will it work or won’t it work? The only way to find out was to dive right in. Diana sucked in a breath. “Here goes nothing.”

She downed the slime-like liquid and shut her eyes tight, praying for some kind of reaction. The mixture tingled her throat and continued to do so until it dropped all the way down into her stomach. The two held their breath and waited several seconds for something to happen. 

After about a minute Akko broke the silence. “Did it work? Do you feel any different?”

Diana shook her head quietly. She still felt as awful as she did when she had first woken up in the morning. 

“Maybe we need to wait a bit more?” the girl encouraged.

“No,” she said in a low voice. “The book said it was supposed to show obvious effects within milliseconds of ingestion.”

It was over. Her efforts had failed once again. _I don’t know why I even bothered trying this_ , Diana thought miserably. _I should’ve known something like this wouldn’t have worked. We need a direct cure and the Nine’s know I’ll never find something like that no matter how hard I look._

She tried not to let the disappointment show on her face. “It didn’t work. Sorry for making you go all the way to Wedinburgh for nothing, Akko.”

The girl looked back at her with sad eyes. Diana hated seeing her girlfriend look so discouraged. It simply didn’t suit the normally cheerful witch. 

“I should’ve known that there was never any cure to begin with,” the heiress muttered while she covered her face with her hands. She didn’t want Akko to see her cry again.

But she did, obviously. Akko was on her feet lightning fast, fretting over how to handle the girl’s increasing tears. “...Hey don’t worry about it,” she said gently while slowly grabbing ahold of blonde’s wrists. “Don’t cry Diana. Please don’t cry. We’ll figure something out, okay?”

Somehow, Diana was comforted enough with her friend’s words to let up a small smile. Still holding onto her wrists, Akko slowly bent over the bed while Diana cupped the girl’s face in her hands. They pressed their foreheads together and closed their eyes, very much feeling the presence of each other in the moment. They stayed like that for a while before Akko began to pepper Diana’s entire face with slow kisses until she had kissed away all the tears that were left over on her face.

They held eye contact for a moment longer before the Japanese girl leaned in further and gave Diana an immensely deep kiss. Every feeling ever threatened to burst out of her heart right then and there. It was a while before they finally broke apart, gasping delicately for air. 

“Don’t,” Diana warned, panting. “What if you catch it?” She was referring to her illness, of course.

“I won’t,” Akko answered. “And even if I do, I don’t care.” 

Diana loved kissing Akko. That fact was only confirmed more every time they did it. Unfortunately, they seldom did for some reason. She loved how the girl was so gentle with her, how she made her feel as if there was nothing else in the world except for the two of them in that moment. The girl’s remarkably soft and sweet tasting lips. Diana would feel herself melting every time she thought about it.

How much time would she have left to kiss her again? At the thought of this, Diana began to tear up again and before Akko had time to react, she wrapped the brunette’s abdomen in a tight hug. She could feel the girl stiffen at the unexpected gesture, but she didn’t care. Diana only buried her face deeper into the girl’s shirt. They were now both lying down sideways in an awkward position on her bed. 

After getting over the initial suddenness, Akko began to gently stroke the blonde’s hair. “Would you ever have guessed something like this would happen?” 

“At some point I started hoping it would,” Diana answered dreamily. “Minus the part about my terminal illness.” She felt the girl’s chest rumble with light laughter.

She squeezed onto Akko even tighter, scared that someday she might not have any strength left to hold her like this at all. “I love you Akko,” she mumbled into the girl’s shirt. “I love everything about you. I feel like I don’t tell you enough.”

She felt Akko sigh into her, allowing herself to melt as the girl wrapped her arms around her, pulling them impossibly closer together. “I love you so much that it scares me, Diana. I… I have no idea what I would do if you were gone. There won’t be anything left for me anymore. That’s why- that’s why you better not give up yet, understand?”

Diana nodded her head lightly enough so that she was sure Akko could feel it, but she couldn’t bring herself to say a confirmation out loud. She couldn’t audibly promise something that she had no control over. Everything just felt so pointless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The phrase ‘golden apples of the sun’ is taken from a very nice poem, “The Song of Wandering Aengus” by William Butler Yeats.
> 
> One of my favorite books also happens to be “The Golden Apples of the Sun” by Ray Bradbury


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diana comes to term with her imminent mortality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was reading “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” by Leo Tolstoy for college while writing this chapter. I thought it was an amazing insight into how it would feel like to know that you're slowly dying. It also helped me write a good amount of the more morbid stuff in this chapter soo enjoy haha

There was no progress. 

Despite the combined efforts of all the witches in Luna Nova and more, there was still no progress being made towards a cure for Salander’s Affliction. To make matters worse, things were not looking favorable in terms of Diana’s health. It was fair to say that she was barely even hanging on at this point. 

She stayed in bed all day sleeping, and the only time she ever got up was when she used the bathroom. She didn’t even have the energy to continue with any sort of research. Her strength was nonexistent and she could slowly feel her life force draining away. Even using her voice to talk to anyone who cared to visit was straining for her. 

Before she knew it, her thoughts had shifted from being all about finding a way out of this mess, to being consumed with the thought of death.

What would it feel like to die? Diana couldn’t imagine it being any worse than the pain she was dealing with now anyways. The constant pain and discomfort that engulfed her body at every second of the day was unfortunately all she could focus on. The churning of her stomach, the burning in her throat, the naseauting dizziness, the pounding in her head, the fever that blinded her with delirium. She couldn’t remember what not being sick felt like. 

She didn’t quite know how she knew, but she felt like her time was coming to an end soon. Maybe it was some kind of sixth sense that every dying person developed. She wondered if there was anyway she could somehow just get it over with already. 

Obviously, Diana wanted to live. That went without saying. She wanted to live more than anything in the world. There were so many things that she was leaving behind, so many people. The bitterness of not being able to do anything about it was like a knife that twisted into her gut. For all her life, she had been used to accomplishing everything that she had set out to achieve. Nothing was out of her grasp and even when things seemed impossible, with the help of her friends, she was able to sort things out in the end. It was hard to accept that this time probably wasn’t going to turn out like all the other times.

Everyone in Luna Nova had begun to notice the finality of the situation as well. Just about every student, professor, staff member, and magical creature had stopped by her room at least once during these past few weeks to see her. She was somewhat glad to see that they cared, but deep down, Diana hated the fact that everybody knew about her terminal condition. It was slight, but she could tell that people had started to look at her differently. Of course, nobody acknowledged it upfront with her, but they all had that faint glint of sympathy in their eyes whenever they looked at her. Their encouraging words and smiles weren’t enough to hide it.

It was such a difference from before all of this had happened to her; when she was only thought of as ‘Diana Cavendish’ and not ‘the sick girl’. Everybody had once looked up to her with admiration and awe. Now, the only thing she could read from their faces was pity, and that was something that she had never wanted to get out of this. She couldn’t stand being looked at like that. It made her angrier than she had ever been in her life. Angry at herself for being so weak.

Even Akko, the sweet and loving Akko that she adored so dearly, had started to look at her as if she was someone that was, well, dying. When the girl looked at her like that, it was one of the worst feelings in the world. 

_I warned her_ , Diana thought ruefully. _I warned her that getting so attached to me was only going to hurt her… I thought that maybe I could indulge myself a little with this relationship, but I’ve only made things worse for Akko. This was all a mistake. How could I have been so selfish?!_

She loved Akko. She loved her so much that it hurt to see the girl so tormented whenever she walked into the room. All Diana wanted was for the girl to be happy and to live out her life doing what she loved. More than anything, Akko had wanted to become a witch like Shiny Chariot who spread joy throughout the world. Now, all she ever did was worrying about Diana. It pained the heiress to think that she was putting her girlfriend through so much unnecessary unhappiness. 

She was getting tired of it all. 

 

It was the early afternoon of another day. Diana was barely even able to keep her eyes open. She was about to go back to sleep, but it was usually around this time that Akko decided to pay her daily visits, so she forced herself to stay awake. After all, there was only so much time the two had left together. She waited until she heard the door quietly opening and the sound of familiar footsteps coming towards her. 

Akko appeared from around the corner. “Hey Diana. Good morning,” she greeted gently while taking a seat at the desk. There were bags under her eyes and her usual tied up hair was down and slightly messy. She looked completely exhausted. “How are you feeling today?”

“Same as always, I suppose,” the blonde answered honestly. 

“Ah, I see.” The girl looked dejectedly to the side. It was becoming increasingly difficult for the two of them to go on ignoring the obvious. That any day now, Diana wouldn’t wake up like she usually did. They were both thinking it, but neither said a word. “Well, I’ll try not to bother you too much today then. You can go back to sleep if you want, I’ll be right here if you need anything okay?” She opened her notebook and began to read in silence.

 _Poor girl,_ Diana thought. _She’s probably so sick of reading the same things over and over every single day._ “Maybe you should take a break from reading.”

Akko looked up at her peculiarly. “No that’s alright. It’s better if I keep going, there’s not much time left before..” she trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence.

“Before what? Before I die?”

“What? No! I wasn’t going to say that!” Akko replied in a panicky tone. “Why would you even say something awful like that?!”

“Well it’s the truth, isn’t it? I’m dying and everybody knows it…” Diana muttered weakly. “We’ve done everything we could to find a cure, but there’s nothing else we can do anymore. It’s time for me to just accept it. It’s time for everyone to accept it.”

The brunette stared at her in anguished disbelief. Even Diana couldn’t believe that she had just said something so extreme to her girlfriend. _It had to be said though,_ she thought. _We can’t just keep pretending that everything’s going to turn out okay in the end._

Akko clenched her hands into fists. “So you’re just gonna give up? The fight’s not over yet. As long as you’re still alive, we can still find a cure.”

“Oh? Then why don’t you try contracting Salander’s Affliction and deal with everything I have to deal with,” snapped Diana. 

The Japanese girl remained silent while glaring back. That had been a low blow and they both knew it.

The blonde rubbed her arm regretfully. “Im sorry Akko, it’s just that… I’m so tired of all of this. I know you’re tired too, you’ve been working so hard for my sake all this time but, it’s different for me. You don’t understand what it’s like to actually feel like you’re going to die. There’s no other feeling like it in the world. You have no idea how it feels to have everyone look at you like you’re dying. Even you’ve started to look at me like that too,” she cast her eyes down onto her blanket. “You’re doing it now even.”

“You’re wrong, it’s not like that!” Akko stood up frantically from her chair. “I’m looking at you like this because I’m just trying to lock every moment of you that I can into my memory forever. I’m terrified that someday... I’ll end up forgetting all the feelings that I’m experiencing right now. I can’t let that happen.”

Diana raised her voice in urgency. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you all this time, you can’t just decide to do that! I don’t want to hold you back when I’m gone! You think I haven’t noticed that you haven’t been doing as well in school and that you haven’t mentioned your magic shows even once during these past few months?! For your own sake, you _have_ to move on and just forget about me. It’s obvious that I won’t make it…”

Akko’s face remained emotionless. She stayed silent for a few seconds before speaking again. “Do you love me Diana?”

“Y-yes, I do and I’ve told you that many times, but I don’t see how this is relevant to-”

“Then what do you still not understand?!” Akko angrily slammed her fists into the desk. Several papers and books fell onto the floor from the violent impact. “I _want_ to be with you, I _chose_ to be with you despite knowing the consequences. Do you know why? It’s because _I love you_ and that’s what people do when they love someone else. They love them in spite of all the challenges and all the bullshit that comes with loving that person.” She gently grabbed the blonde’s hands. “I’m willing to give up whatever I have to if it means being with you and keeping you happy and alive. My magic shows, this school, my dreams! I’ll throw it all away, everything I’ve ever wanted! All for you, Diana!”

“Wha…” Diana was speechless. This wasn’t like the Akko she knew at all. The girl she knew would never give up on her dreams for any reason. _Maybe this is just how much she loves me?_ She shook dangerous thought from her head. If she started to think about how madly in love she was with the Japanese witch, she would never be able to leave peacefully from this world. No matter how much she wanted Akko to love her and no matter how much she loved Akko, she had to give the girl some sense of closure. “That’s enough,” she said sternly. “Why even bother trying at this point? We’re both just being delusional. It’s time to accept what’s coming to me.”

Angry tears streamed down Akko’s face as she let go of her beloved’s hands. She took several steps back as if still attempting to digest their entire exchange. “You’re so unbelievable, Diana!” she shouted. Her voice was shaky. “Even now, you’re only thinking about other people! What about you?! Are you still putting on that ridiculous, mature nobility act?! It’s okay to be scared and it’s okay to not want to die, nobody’s going to blame you for something as natural as that, but the one thing you can’t do is say that you’re just fine with dying when there are so many people that would be devastated if anything happened to you! When are you going to understand that your friends care about you?! And it’s not just me, Hannah and Barbara are so torn up about what’s happening to you that they can barely even be in the same room as you without bursting into tears! Have you noticed that?! Why do you think they’re never around anymore?!”

Diana watched as the girl began to pack up all of her stuff that she had previously settled onto the desk. As soon as she retrieved all of her belongings, Akko hurriedly disappeared behind the bookshelf and headed for the door without even turning back to give a final glance. 

She heard the sound of the door opening before hearing one last remark being shouted at her from Akko. “You think you know everything, but you have no idea about any of this! For once in your life, Diana Cavendish, you’re wrong and you know it!” She slammed the door and stomped off into the hallway.

Diana sighed. _I probably could have handled that better._

 

\-----------------

 

 _Rrrgh. Stupid Diana._ Akko violently turned to the next page in her book. _She doesn’t know what she’s talking about! There’s still a chance that we can find a cure. She’s- she’s not going to die… ___

____

It was still odd using that word. _Die._ The word rotted her brain everytime it popped into her thoughts. She couldn’t quite grasp that the concept of death was all too relevant in her life as of now. Akko never had much experience with death to begin with. She never had to deal with a major death in the family or anything like that while she was growing up. In fact, the only funeral she had ever attended was that of her grandfather, but she was far too young to even remember anything from it.

____

Her girlfriend, however, was different. Before Diana was barely even 8 years old, she already had to balance dealing with her mother’s death while taking responsibility for the House of Cavendish. She never mentioned anything about her father, but Akko guessed that he had probably died when she was young. 

____

No question about it, the girl had definitely lived a very hard life so far and it didn’t seem to be getting any easier for her now. Fate was laughing at her as it took a turn for the worse once again. The world was so unfair sometimes. Akko gave a long sigh. _Maybe I shouldn’t have yelled at her like that…_ She pictured the blonde sitting all alone in her room. _Ugh, I should definitely go and apologize to her tomorrow. But I can’t be too soft on her! She has to know that talking like that makes me feel awful about all of this._

____

She mulled over their argument for a few minutes more before diving back into her heavy research. After spending so much time reading day after day, she had already gotten the hang of it. She could go on for hours and hours without giving anything else a second thought. She read as if she were possessed, as if nothing else in the world would matter anymore if she didn’t find a cure. 

____

 

____

Glances at the clock kept her only slightly grounded to reality. 4pm. 5pm. 7:30pm. 9:15pm. 11:45pm. 3am…. 7am. 

____

Her eyes moved along the pages in a desperate frenzy. The clock hands seemed to be lying as they ticked along rapidly and told it’s viewer that it was already morning. Akko almost didn’t believe it until the first glimpse of sunlight began to shine in through the library window. 

____

She had stayed up all night and still had nothing to show for it.

____

She glared infuriatingly at all of the notes and books that were scattered all over the table. Taken over by the moment’s impulse of frustration, she slid her arm across the surface of the table and knocked everything down onto the floor. She stomped her foot bitterly. “No, no, no!” She screamed out loud, not caring if anybody could hear her. “This is driving me fucking nuts! There has to be something that we’re missing! The microscopic composition can’t just end here, there isn’t even a full description of it! It just doesn’t make any sense.” She pulled at her hair in desperation. “I’m running out of time… Diana’s running out of time… What do I do, oh god what do I do?!”

____

She buried her face into her hands and stayed like that for what was probably several minutes. She felt like she was losing her mind. How could it be possible to have not made literally any progress on this disease by now? It wasn’t like people hadn’t contracted Salander’s Affliction before. One would think that there would be at least some information that could be of use.

____

The girl snapped her head up when she heard the sound of the library door opening. “Is that you, Akko?” Professor Ursula timidly peeked into the room. “Forgive me if I’ve come at a bad time, but I was just walking past the library when I heard your voice coming from inside.” She took a few steps in before noticing the mess that had been recently created on the floor. “...Is everything alright?”

____

Akko honestly couldn’t remember the last time she had a decent chat with Ursula. She was always so busy with, well, other things that she didn’t even have time to drop in and say hello to the kind professor. Somehow, she felt relieved to be able to talk to the woman once again. Maybe it was best to get everything off of her chest to someone who was willing to listen. She sighed. “No, everything’s not alright.”

____

Ursula smiled knowingly and took a seat while gesturing for Akko to do the same. She seemed ready to lend an ear. “Well normally I would ask why, but unfortunately I think I know the answer to that question already.”

____

The girl slumped down in her chair. “I just can’t believe any of this is actually happening. I mean… Diana’s really… she could really…”

____

The woman nodded understandably. “I know. I know what you mean. We’re all terrified that something might happen to Diana, though I’m sure none of us would understand how you must feel about all of this, Akko. You love her, right? I can’t even fathom what you two must be going through.”

____

“Yeah… And if I’m this miserable, imagine how Diana must be feeling. She’s the one who has to go through all of this.” The girl shook her head. “It’s so unfair. All she ever did was help people without ever giving a second thought to herself.”

____

Ursula folded her hands in her lap and looked down sadly. “You’re absolutely right. It is unfair and you have every right to be angry and upset. High school students aren’t supposed to have to deal with something as heavy as this… these are supposed to be the best years of your lives.” She jolted up, embarrassed. “Ah! I’m sorry Akko, I didn’t mean to make you more depressed. I was just speaking my mind.”

____

She couldn’t help but crack a smile at her teacher’s genuinely awkward nature. It always made her feel better. “No that’s okay Professor. I’m glad at least someone gets it.” She paused for a second before asking the next question. “Is it okay if I ask you something personal?”

____

“Of course.”

____

“Has someone close to you ever died? Do you know how to deal with something like that?”

____

“Oh,” the woman adjusted her glasses. “I’ve had a few experiences, yes. Nothing completely devastating, though. So I’m sorry, I don’t really think I could give you proper advice on how to handle a situation like that...”

____

“Then how am I supposed to know what to do when Diana dies?” Akko pressed.

____

Ursula dropped her jaw open. “Akko, you shouldn’t say things like that! I’m sure Diana’s not going to die yet-”

____

“But she told me herself,” she interrupted. “She told me that… she could sort of feel it, ya know? I heard that kind of thing happens sometimes to people who’ve been sick for a while. They know when they’re gonna die.”

____

“Well, let’s not jump to any conclusions,” the woman replied awkwardly. “There’s still time left. We can still find a cure! Croix told me a month ago that she was really busy looking into it!”

____

The girl shook her head. “Maybe Diana was right. There’s no use anymore.” Her tired eyes filled with tears that began to drip down her cheeks. “I just don’t know what to do. I have no idea what I’m going to do if she ever…” Her sentence was cut off by a choked sob.

____

Ursula looked on with a panicked expression. “N-now now! It’s okay, everything will turn out okay in the end! Don’t cry Akko, alright?” She got up from her seat and gave the girl a gentle hug.

____

Akko reciprocated the hug and tried to silently suck the tears back into her eyes. She didn’t exactly want to get any bodily fluids onto her teacher, but she was just so exhausted from everything. She was physically and mentally drained from having to keep all of these emotions inside of her all the time. It’s not exactly like she could go on crying in front of Diana. That would only end up making the heiress feel even worse than she already did. 

____

Their touching embrace was suddenly interrupted by the sound of the library doors swinging open aggressively. _Whoa, who could that be so early in the morning?_ Akko wondered. Her and Ursula simultaneously turned around to look at the intruder.

____

“Wha- Professor Croix?!”

____

The lilac haired witch stood at the entrance of the room, visibly out of breath and sweating. “Oh thank goodness I found you two.”

____

Ursula rushed over to her friend immediately. “Croix! What on earth are you doing here?! They let you out already?!”

____

“Hold on,” Croix panted. “Let me catch my breath first.” 

____

“What’s going on? Did something happen?”

____

The woman nodded. “I had to get here as fast as I could.” She reached into the bag that she had been carrying and pulled out a gigantic scroll. “Where’s Diana? I need you to take me to her right now.”

____

Akko widened her eyes. “Did- did you actually find something on Salander’s Affliction?”

____

“I think…” she answered slowly before shaking her head. “No, I’m _sure_ I’ve found something.” She grabbed Ursula’s hand and began to walk out of the room. “I’ll explain everything later, so first you have to get me to Diana _now_. There’s no time to waste.”

____


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can't believe it's almost over wow. Sorry I've been spacing out the chapter updates, I just wanted to wait until it accumulated more hits.

Diana woke up from her unpleasant sleep in a panic when she heard the door to her room being thrown open unexpectedly. She sat up in bed immediately. _Who in their right mind would come into my room this early in the morning?! And not to mention without knocking,_ she wondered. It definitely wouldn’t be Akko; the girl was always one to knock before she came in. Hannah and Barbara wouldn’t pull such a stunt either.

Her question was answered when an all too familiar woman strode into her corner of the room. “Oh good! You’re still alive,” Croix beamed at her with an encouraging smile. She had a large rolled up sheet of paper under one of her arms.

“Croix, you can’t say that! It’s insensitive!” scolded Ursula as she appeared behind her friend. Akko peeked out from behind the two and made eye contact with Diana. She bowed her head a little bit and gave her an awkward wave.

Diana waved back. _Ah yes, I forgot about the little fight we had yesterday. It’s only natural that we would be a bit delicate with each other. I hope she still isn’t mad._

She resolved to apologize to the girl, but only after finding out what on earth Croix was doing in Luna Nova and more specifically, in her room. “Professor Croix,” she hesitated. “May I help you with something?”

“Well actually, I think I can help you!” she answered back excitedly. “Oh man, Diana you have no idea how hard I’ve been working to find that pesky cure of yours. Once I finished up with the cure for Wagandea’s Curse, I jumped right into investigating about Salander’s Affliction.”

_Wow… I didn’t think she would be that committed to helping me out._ “Well thank you very much for doing so Professor,” Diana replied, completely moved by the woman’s faithfulness. “And I’m guessing you came here today because… you found something?”

Croix crossed her arms proudly and grinned. “Bingo!”

“SERIOUSLY??!!” Akko cried excitedly. She pushed past Ursula and eagerly grabbed onto Croix’s arm. “What is it?!! What did you find?! Is it the cure? Did you find it?!!”

“Hold on a moment,” Diana cut in before the woman could answer. “Before you explain any further, I think I should ask if you’re even allowed to be here right now, Professor Croix.”

She chuckled nervously. “What do you mean?”

“I’m asking if Hadam Hill’s institution allowed you to leave their premises in order to come to Luna Nova. If I’m correct, I believe your sentencing doesn’t allow you to leave for another year or so and I don’t exactly approve of holding a convicted witch in my room.” 

They were all staring at the woman now, very much expecting an honest answer. Croix scanned all of their faces, sighed, then dismissively waved her hand in the air. “Well technically no, they did not let me out. I had to sneak out. They would have made me get a permit to come here and that would have taken at least a couple of days to get approved and even then I would have only been able to come under supervision. The whole process would’ve taken way too much time. I couldn’t afford to waste a second so I came right here.” She glanced over at Diana sitting fragilely in her bed. “And it seems as though I made the right choice.”

“Are you for real?!” Akko laughed. “You’re definitely going to get in huge trouble for this.”

“Fuck the consequences,” Croix replied coolly. “Someone’s life is on the line here! I’m sure the institution would understand if I broke the rules just this once.”

“Croix…” Ursula gazed at the woman adoringly. 

Croix gave her red-haired friend a quick wink. “Now back to what I was saying,” she continued. “You have _no idea_ how hard it was to find this thing.” She dropped the large rolled up paper onto the bed. “When I first started to seriously look into Salander’s Affliction, I wasn’t having any luck. Any leads that I attempted to trace led to dead ends and unanswered questions. I just kept going around in circles for the longest time.”

“That’s exactly what happened to us!” Akko added.

“And that’s to be expected,” Croix explained. “It’s because we were looking for information in the wrong places.”

“Wrong places?”

“That’s right. After a while of fruitless research, I finally figured out that instead of searching through the endless amount of healing magic textbooks, I should have been searching through the ancient history archives!”

A light bulb seemed to go off in everybody’s head at the realization. “Of course!” Diana sat up excitedly. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of that before!”

Croix shook her head. “Well it wasn’t quite that simple actually. I searched through all the human literature archives and still didn’t find anything of much use. However,” she said dramatically. “I had the brilliant idea of searching through documents that were written in different languages and lo and behold,” she grabbed the piece of paper off the bed again. “I found what we’ve been looking for, written in a scroll of Ancient Dragon Script!”

The entire room was speechless; Diana especially. After all this time, the key to the cure was right in front of her. And what’s more, it was written in Dragon Script! She wasn’t sure if she was hallucinating or not. 

“Well… what does it say? Where’s the cure?” Ursula inclined.

“I have no idea!” Croix said merrily with a laugh.

“...What?” Akko deadpanned.

“Well I can’t read Dragononese.”

“Then how do you know that this scroll has anything to do with Salander’s Affliction?”

“Ohhhh I’m sorry, I didn’t explain well enough,” the woman replied. “One of the residents that I’m friends with knew a little bit of Dragon Script, but not enough to translate the entire thing. All I know is that it will tell you where you can find the cure.”

The three other witches looked at her with uncertainty, prompting her to further explain herself. “I mean… I know there’s a potion that can help it’s user read Dragon Script, but I didn’t really have the time to find the materials to make it so I just came straight here since I knew that Diana’s fluent in Dragonese anyways.” When her audience still didn’t look entirely convinced, Croix sighed. “Look, I’m absolutely positive that this scroll will tell us where we can find the cure. Just trust me on this. Plus, I already came all the way out here, so there’s no harm in reading it anyways, right?” She extended her hand with the scroll in it to Diana.

The girl hesitated for a moment, but reluctantly took it. The chances were slim that this piece of paper would be the answer to all of her problems, but it wasn’t like she had any other options anyway. This was her last shot and it was certainly better than nothing. Croix _did_ risk breaking the law to get this scroll to her. She smiled gratefully. “I do trust you, Professor Croix. Thank you for all your hard work.”

The woman grinned back. “Don’t thank me yet. Read it first. I think we’re all very eager to find out exactly what it says.”

Diana nodded modestly and slowly opened the scroll, revealing a long page filled with many complicated Dragonese symbols. All three of the witches huddled around the bed to catch a glimpse of it themselves. “Read it out loud,” Akko inclined.

“Ok.” It had been a while since the last time she had the opportunity to read Dragonese, so she was worried that she might be a little rusty. She cleared her throat and began.

“ _ **A new age will always bring up the old. The old can only be resisted by the old. At the top of the Wagandea Tree, you shall find every cure to every incurable.**_ ** **”****

********

A minute of silence passed while the four of them attempted to digest the new information. None of them knew what to think about it. Diana reread it a few more times just to make sure she had translated the writing correctly. She had. She definitely had. 

********

_Wagandea huh… I knew Salander’s Affliction was in some way related to Wagandea, but I never would have guessed that the solution I’ve been looking for all this time would be located at the top of that damn tree,_ she thought irritably. She tried to remember everything about the Wagandea Tree. Located in the Arcturus Forest, dangerous, and so ridiculously tall that no one had ever successfully climbed to it’s top. 

********

Still though, at least it was something. More than something, in fact. It was where her cure was. Despite every impossibility surrounding it, Diana couldn’t help but think about how she was going to climb that monster of a tree. The wheels in her head were already turning with ideas and strategies.

********

She was the first to speak again after everyone else had been stunned silent. “Ok, so what’s the plan? When and how are we going to get me up there?” 

********

The three other witches in the room only stared at her in response. The two older women began giving each other looks while Akko stood still as if still trying to fully understand what the scroll had said. They all looked like they wanted to say something that was on the tip of their tongues, but not one of them opened their mouths to actually articulate it.

********

“What’s the matter with you all?” Diana protested. “We should be celebrating! We finally know where the cure is now! All we have to do is go to Wagandea and retrieve it.”

********

Ursula swallowed hard. She had an uncomfortable look on her face. “Well… I’m afraid it’s not that simple, Diana.”

********

She gave her Astrology professor a confused look. “What do you mean?”

********

“You should know better than most people,” the red-haired woman continued cautiously. “We can’t just _go_ to Wagandea whenever we please. It’s…”

********

“Incredibly dangerous,” Croix finished. “Especially for us witches. It’s way too risky.”

********

“If you’re referring to Wagandea’s curse and how it could take away our magic, it’s not a problem anymore right? I thought you successfully made a cure for it already, Professor Croix,” Diana urged. She couldn’t understand why everybody was getting cold feet about this all of a sudden.

********

“Yes, but… even then, it would be way too dangerous for us to go,” Ursula explained sadly. “It’s not just the matter of us losing our magic. There are countless of other life threatening things lurking within every inch of that tree.” 

********

The blonde’s heart began to pound with nervousness. “But what about the new wave of magic that Akko released along with the Grand Triskelon? Arcturus Forest was completely changed after that! Now everything in there is full of life again. Wouldn’t the Wagandea Tree be changed as well?”

********

“It’s still no good,” Croix said while shaking her head. “The Magic Counsel thought the same exact thing and previously went to check on the tree themselves to see if it was any different… They claimed that it was still as dangerous as ever. I'm positive that tree was the only thing in Arcturus Forest that didn’t reform at all after the surge of new magic was released.”

********

“No way…” Diana’s head was spinning. It felt like every possible inconvenience was getting in the way of her survival. She knew where the cure was now. That was good. But unfortunately, according to her professors, it was practically impossible for her to obtain. She knew they were only being reasonable, but still… _Do they intend to just let me die, then?_

********

Seeing the worried expression on her girlfriend’s face, Akko joined in on the conversation again. “But how can we be sure it’s talking about Salander’s Affliction? Maybe it means something else.”

********

The heiress shook her head. “No, Akko. I don’t know how I can tell, but I’m absolutely positive that it’s talking about Salander’s Affliction.” 

********

The Japanese witch dropped her gaze to the floor while rubbing her arm dejectedly. Diana looked at her with sympathy. She was sure that Akko was upset about this news too. After all, the girl had worked harder than anyone to see this through. 

********

Diana took a deep breath. “Even if it’s dangerous, I still think that I should go.”

********

“You can’t Diana! We can’t let you risk your life like that!” Ursula stated sternly.

********

“Why not? I’m practically dead anyway.” Everyone stared at her in horror as soon as she had let those words slip out of her mouth. Yes it was a bit morbid, but it was only the truth. She reformed her previous statement out of consideration for the others. “At least, I will be if I don’t somehow manage to get to the top of that tree.”

********

Ursula uncomfortably fidgeted with her fingers. “I understand why you want to go so badly Diana. I really do. But unless we come up with an appropriate plan, you’re never going to be able to get to the top of the tree in one piece.”

********

“That’s not to say that we won’t try,” Croix added encouragingly. “We’ll start thinking of a strategy right away.” She turned sharply to face her friend. “Chariot, I need you to go tell the Luna Nova staff about our new discovery. Now. Right now. I don’t care if you have to shake them awake. The sooner they know, the better chances we have of coming up with something.”

********

Understanding the imperativeness of the circumstances that they were currently in, Ursula nodded with intensity. “I’m on it.” She quickly made her way to the door and exited the room.

********

The lilac-haired woman put her hand on the brunette’s shoulder. “Akko, we need your help too. I want you to go around the academy and start asking the other students if they have any information about the Wagandea Tree. Report back to Chariot or I immediately if you find out anything useful.”

********

“Got it!” Akko responded back with a fire in her eyes. “What about you Professor Croix? What are you going to do?”

********

“I’m going to go back to the Hadam Hills library and see if they have anymore information on Wagandea there. I won’t be gone long, but if you need me for an emergency, just phone the facility and ask for me,” she replied while hastily leaving the room. She had almost left for good before she turned back and looked at Diana dead in the eyes. “And don’t you _dare_ think of doing anything rash while we’re gone, Miss Cavendish. You better not move from that spot, understood?”

********

Diana nodded timidly in response. Croix stayed only a moment longer before finally rushing out of the room. Now only Akko remained in the room with the girl. Their eyes met briefly before they tore away from each other.

********

“Don’t worry Diana, it’s not over yet. Now we know for sure that there’s a cure so…” the girl started awkwardly. “So you better believe we’re gonna find a way to get it. Then you’ll finally be able to have a normal life, we can have a normal relationship and we can do normal things together without having to worry about anything else in the world. And maybe,” Akko worked through the pain in her voice. “Maybe I can finally tell you that I love you without it breaking both of our hearts into pieces after every time I say it.”

********

“Akko…”

********

“You should get some rest now, Diana. I’ll be back soon.” Then she too, left the room, leaving Diana all alone again.

********

It was astounding how determined everyone seemed to be towards helping her. Croix especially. She often forgot that the woman had been at the top of her class during her years at Luna Nova. That hadn’t been all for show, she had at least be somewhat competent. But even so, it was still shocking to see the woman so driven and so in control about this whole disaster of a situation. Diana was beyond touched that the woman was going to such great lengths for her.

********

It seemed promising that with the combined help of so many people there would eventually be a decent plan to get up the tree. However, there was one problem that everybody was overlooking, and only Diana knew what it was.

********

She was certain that she wasn’t going to last much longer. 

********

Somehow, she could just feel it like the way someone can feel a sneeze coming on. How long would it take to come up with a safe plan? A few weeks? A month maybe? There was no way she was going to survive if it took that long. She could tell that probably in just a few days… she would be dead. No doubt about it. They wouldn’t make it in time.

********

Diana’s gaze hardened. _There’s no way I’m going to lay here and do nothing while I wait for my own death. There’s only one thing I can do…_ She threw the covers off of her bed and headed straight for her closet. After changing into her uniform, which felt like the most normal thing for her to wear when going out, she took a large backpack out from the closet. She made her way around the room and began to grab all kinds of supplies to put into the bag. Food, water, magic seals, medicine, climbing gear. Once she was sure that nothing else would fit into the bag, she loaded it onto her back and grabbed her broom and her wand. 

********

_I’ll find that cure and I’ll do it myself if I have to. I won’t fail and I won’t die._ She flung open her room windows. The cool morning breeze immediately hit her in the face. The sun slowly made it’s way above the horizon as it covered the surrounding trees in an orange light. She could already see the beginnings of Arcturus Forest from here. It would probably only take about half an hour to get to the tree if she flew at her top speed. She took one last glance at her room before mounting her broom and looking straight ahead into the sky. “Tia Freyre!”

********

 

********

\--------------

********

 

********

Akko was out of breath. For the past 30 minutes, she had been running frantically around the school, trying to squeeze information out of anybody that she saw. Her friends, random students, Professor Pisces. She even asked some of the minotaurs if they knew anything about Wagandea. People knew about it of course, but nobody had ever heard of a way to get up the stupid tree. She was beginning to feel like the task given to her by Croix was ultimately pointless. 

********

Not to mention she was already totally exhausted from having pulled an all-nighter. _Man I could really use a nap right now,_ she thought while panting up a flight of stairs. _Maybe I’ll just cast an energy spell on myself when I get the chance._

********

She reflexively reached for her red sash on her hip where she usually kept her wand, and was surprised to find it empty. _Huh?_ She patted herself down until she was absolutely positive that her wand was not in her possession. “Uggghhhhh,” she groaned out loud. Now was not the time to lose something as important as her wand. _I probably left it somewhere in the building._

********

Akko decided to check the library first for her missing wand and when she didn’t find it there, she figured that there was only one other place left to look. _I probably left it in Diana’s room,_ she sighed. _But going back in there after I just left is gonna be so awkwarddd._ She had no choice though. She was a witch, after all. She couldn’t go wandering around without her most important tool.

********

She jogged through the hallways and made her way back to the 2nd floor of East dormitories. She walked up to the blue team’s door and opened it quietly in case Diana was sleeping, though she was sure the girl would be far too restless to be sleeping at a time like this. Once she fully opened the door, the first thing she noticed was that the window was wide open. It hadn’t been like that when she left.

********

The brunette walked over to the window and peered out. In all the times that she’d visited this room, she’d never once seen the window wide open like this. Her attention was driven away from the outside scenery when she caught a quick glimpse of something laying on the floor next to her friend’s desk. _Oh! My wand!_ Akko hurriedly rushed over to her misplaced item and picked it up. _Phew, thank goodness it was here…….Huh?_ Her gaze continued upwards until it reached Diana’s bed. Empty. 

********

_WHAT?!_ Akko’s mind was immediately sent into a panic. She sprinted over to the bathroom to see if the girl was maybe in there. She wasn’t. _Oh no._ A realization suddenly set in. She quickly checked to see if Diana’s broom was missing as well and surely, it was. Not to mention multiple objects that were once in the room, including the heiress’s backpack, were also missing. The bowl of fruit that sat on the large center table in the suite was completely empty. This could only mean one thing.

********

There was no doubt about it, Diana was going to try and climb Wagandea herself. “That idiot!” Akko screamed. “She’s gonna get herself killed if she tries to go it alone!”

********

She grit her teeth as she thought about what she should do. Obviously, she had to go after her. That wasn’t even a question at this point. She just wasn’t sure if she should tell anyone else about the blonde’s reckless decision. If she told Ursula or Croix what had happened, they would obviously head over to Wagandea right away and drag Diana back to Luna Nova with no time to spare. 

********

That was the part she wasn’t so sure about. 

********

As soon as it was confirmed that the cure was located on top of Wagandea, Akko’s first reaction was ‘Well what the hell are we all waiting for? Let’s go climb that tree and get it!’. Even now, she still didn’t understand why they all weren’t trying to storm the tree at this very moment. It seemed like the only logical thing to do. However, when Croix and Ursula said otherwise and Diana seemingly went along with what they said, Akko decided it was best to just keep her mouth shut. 

********

No matter how much she thought about it, she knew that Diana was doing the right thing for herself. 

********

So that settled it. Just like her girlfriend, Akko was going to go AWOL. She steeled her resolve and ran back to her own room as fast as she could so that she could retrieve her broom. 

********

Sucy and Lotte were still sleeping, so she had to make sure she was extra quiet while sneaking her broom out. As soon as she left the room, she looked for the nearest window and flung it open with great force. She mounted her broom and grit her teeth as a rush of adrenaline hit her. _Damn that Diana Cavendish! How does she expect to make it even halfway up the tree in her state. I mean c’mon! She can barely even get out of bed these days! She could have at least asked me to come with her. She knew I would have said yes in a heartbeat._

********

Akko let out one more sigh of irritation before finally shouting, “Tia Freyre!”

********

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, next chapter is suuuuuper long. So I probably won’t put it up for a while. Until then, prepare yourselves for the ending >:)
> 
> Any questions, comments or suggestions? Please go ahead! 
> 
> Also, can y’all please make fanart of this fic? That’s like my dream. Even if it’s ugly, I’ll love it and I’ll love you <3


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